Full Circle
by ArchAngel1973
Summary: It's been almost a year since Michael left without telling anyone where he was going why did he leave? and will he come back?
1. Chapter 1

Kate McAllister stood near the back of the upscale shop watching the patrons as they moved from one sculpture to the next, quietly murmuring about the artists' work. She wondered how excited they'd be if they were to ever meet the sullen young man who created the works of art they were fawning over.

She had discovered Michael Guerin six months ago and she had known immediately that she could make him famous. He had been hesitant about allowing her to sell the pieces until she had told him how much people would pay for them. She had convinced him to let her show half a dozen of the sculptures at a local gallery but he had refused to be put on display alongside his work. Even after she had presented him with a sizeable check and an order for a dozen sculptures he had been skeptical. He had finally agreed to fill the order on the conditions that he dealt with her exclusively and that his last name be kept confidential.

His sculptures were dark, edgy, and they flew off of the shelves. No two pieces were alike, each one original and he had declined several outrageous offers to sculpt multiple pieces of the same sculpture. She had watched him work on several occasions and she had been impressed by his drive and single-minded determination when it came to his work. He poured his soul into his work and she had wondered many times how much pain he hid beneath the scruffy, angry exterior that he presented to the world.

She didn't know what he did with the money he made but it was obvious he didn't spend much of it on himself. He rented a small house outside the city limits and the only real expenditure she had seen had been the garage behind the house; he had gutted it out, and fixed it up as his shop, doing all of his sculpting there. There was only one other house close to his and the young couple had made it their business to pull him out of his self-imposed isolation as often as he would allow. They were the only people he associated with socially and she was glad they hadn't been put off by his lack of people skills. He was one of the most anti-social people she had ever known and if it hadn't been for his sculptures she never would have bothered to talk to him a second time.

She was certain that whatever had happened in his past to make him so unapproachable was also responsible for the soul-deep anguish that was barely concealed in his dark eyes. The anger and hostility were almost always on the surface and she knew that combined with whatever painful secrets he kept hidden those emotions were the reason his work was so popular.

His sculptures were sold by one shop exclusively and the owner, Charlotte Stuart had been ecstatic when he had chosen her. When she had discussed her idea of putting his pieces in a shop he had once again been hesitant, considering it only after she had agreed to set up a meeting between the owner and himself. She had been excluded from the meeting so she didn't know what had persuaded him to sign an exclusive contract with the woman. Oh, she'd had her suspicions at first but over time she had realized that nothing could be further from the truth.

She had watched as they became unlikely friends, unable to understand how two people who were so completely different could stand to even be in the same room without driving each other crazy. Michael was quiet, contemplative, and had a temper that simmered just below the surface. Charlotte was… _well, odd, would be a nice way of_ _putting it,_ she thought with a smile. The woman was flighty, highly emotional, believed in all sorts of off the wall things, and liked to talk. A lot. But they spent a lot of time together and she just couldn't imagine how they found anything to talk about.

"Did you bring them?"

A woman's voice caught her attention and she turned her head to see the short, petite woman coming towards her. Charlotte had apparently decided that purple wasn't her color because the highlights in her hair were a deep shade of red this week. She was wearing a long, flowing caftan with a multi-colored design, dangling silver earrings that caught the sunlight shining through the storefront windows, and rings adorned nearly every one of her perfectly manicured fingers. Not for the first time, Kate wondered how the woman managed to keep her fingernails in such good condition.

"Katie, did you bring them?"

"They're unloading the truck now," she answered, motioning to the back of the store.

"And? What do they look like? He never lets me see them when he's working on them and I'm dying to know what he sent this time." Without waiting for an answer she waved to the girl behind the counter. "Stacy, we'll be in the back if you need me." She hurried through the door that led to the storeroom, dragging Kate behind her. "I don't know why he has to be so secretive when he's working." She giggled suddenly and released the other woman's arm when she reached the first crate. "Well, okay, he might have said that he can't concentrate when I'm yammering on and on but I don't think I go on and on when I'm talking. Do you?"

Kate sighed, accepting that once again she had been pulled into the Charlotte Zone and made a noncommittal noise that seemed to satisfy the other woman. She reached for one of the small crowbars lying on top of a nearby bench and pried the top off of the crate. Charlotte tore through the packing materials and lifted the sculpture up out of the straw to admire it.

Like all of his other pieces, this one was dark too but she could see the dark red aura surrounding it. Normally it wasn't a shade that would be seen on an inanimate object and the only explanation she could come up with was his aura was so strong that it carried over to his work. She couldn't think of any other possible explanation for it… _well, that_ _wasn't exactly true._ _There was one other reason,_ she thought with a smile.

"How many pieces do you have today?" she asked, pushing her other thoughts aside.

"Seventeen in all. I swear the man works like he's possessed."

_Possessed by his past. _Charlotte just nodded and carefully placed the piece back in the crate. "We'll get these put on display after we close tonight." She shook her head. "I doubt they last past the end of the month."

"You planning to see him anytime soon?"

"We're having dinner this weekend."

"Out?"

"Um-hmm." Charlotte didn't add that it had taken more than an hour of begging and pleading to get him to agree to going out for dinner in a public setting. He was probably the most socially inept person she had ever known but she knew his bark was really worse than his bite. He had a tendency to snap at people when he was uncomfortable and that didn't endear him to many people.

"Well, it'll do him good to get out for a while." Kate smiled and shook her head. "Better you than me, Char; the one time I had lunch with him he nearly took the waiter's head off because the poor man brought him beer instead of iced tea. He's way too temperamental for me so good luck."

Charlotte just smiled and moved on to the next crate.

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Kyle Valenti swiped his security badge and pushed the heavy door open, stepping out of the building and into the crisp coldness of the Colorado Springs night. The temperatures had dropped overnight, and he left footprints in the fresh coat of snow that had fallen while he had been working. He unlocked his truck and tossed his things inside before starting the engine, flipping the heat on, and stepping back out to scrape the snow off of the windows. Once he was finished he knocked the snow off of the brush and dropped it on the floor behind the seat then slid in behind the wheel.

Rubbing his hands briskly to warm them he stared through the windshield at the white wonderland that surrounded him on all sides. _Roswell, New Mexico had never looked_ _like this,_ he thought with a tired smile. He turned his attention to the buildings that housed the medical research facility where he worked as the head of security. He had moved to Colorado Springs almost eight months ago with his stepsister Maria DeLuca, hoping that the change in scenery would help them get their lives into some semblance of order.

His mind drifted back to nine months earlier, the memory so crystal clear he could almost feel the heat of the New Mexico summer on his skin. He had just turned eighteen and graduation was right around the corner. His dad had been weeks away from marrying Maria's mother Amy and he hadn't had the slightest idea what he wanted to do with his life. A couple of years before he'd had plans but life had happened and he had found himself faced with the very real existence of aliens – well, alien/human hybrids. Four of them to be exact.

Max Evans, who had stolen his girlfriend, Liz Parker and later saved his life. Michael Guerin, who had insisted he needed no one and nothing and had proven it by his actions near the end of their senior year. And Isabel Evans, who had just confused him. She had carried the title of Ice Queen through most of their high school years, losing it only when she had fallen in love with Alex Whitman, the biggest geek at Roswell High. She had been devastated when he had been killed towards the end of their junior year and the knowledge that his death had been caused by Tess Harding, the fourth alien in their group had all but destroyed her. They had found a way to send Tess back to their planet, cutting all ties with her and their past and focusing all of their energy on their lives on Earth.

Kyle and Isabel had gotten close during their senior year; he had become her confidant and her friend, helping her to deal with losing Alex while she had helped him come to terms with the fact that Tess had used him to make their friends' death look like a suicide. He had thought for a while there that he and Isabel were working towards a more meaningful relationship but less than a month before graduation everything had changed.

Maria had gotten pregnant and Michael had taken off for parts unknown. She had denied that he had known about the baby and she still continued to deny it but they hadn't believed it then any more than they did now. But by unspoken agreement they had gone along with it and allowed her to keep her delusion. The group had been divided over her decision to keep the baby because no one knew what affect carrying a baby that had been fathered by an alien/human hybrid would have on her or the child.

Max had been determined to track Michael down and bring him back to Roswell no matter how much time it took. He had plotted and planned his strategy and the day after graduation he and Liz had hit the road. Isabel had stayed in town, staying in contact with her brother and using her powers to help him when she could. After a few months of always being one step behind Michael she had given up and left Roswell without letting anyone know where she was going.

Maria's mother had been furious when her only daughter had informed her that not only was she pregnant but that she intended to keep the baby and raise it on her own. Amy had been insistent that the baby be given up for adoption and when Maria had refused she had become enraged and threatened to kick her out of the house. She had followed through with her threat soon after and surprisingly enough, Kyle had been the one to come to her rescue. She had moved in with him and when a company he had applied to in Colorado Springs had hired him he had asked her to go with him.

The sound of knocking brought him out of his reverie and he turned his head to look at the woman motioning for him to roll his window down. He complied with her silent demand, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"Forgot your lunchbox, boss," she said, passing it through the window into his waiting hands.

"Thanks, Teresa." He dropped the black utility lunchbox on the seat beside him and turned back to her. "You better get back inside; it's cold out here."

"Get some rest, boss and I'll see ya tomorrow night."

He watched to make sure she was inside before putting his truck in gear and heading for the first security checkpoint. It hadn't taken long for him to work his way up to his current position but the most surprising thing had been the willingness of the employees to give him a chance to prove himself. His age had been management's main concern but the employees had stood behind him and after six months of observing his dedication, his loyalty to the people who were under his supervision, and seeing him working beside them and for them he had their respect.

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Maria glanced up when the front door closed quietly and a moment later her stepbrother appeared in the doorway.

"How was your shift?" she asked.

"Not bad," he answered, emptying his pockets out onto the hall table. "But I'll be glad when we get another night shift supervisor. I hate working split shifts." He nodded at the infant sleeping in her arms. "How's the little guy doing?"

"He's been fussy but not as bad as he was yesterday." She swayed gently knowing the motion was keeping her little boy calm and quiet.

"How long have you been on your feet?" The dark smudges under her eyes and the fatigue so easily visible in her body concerned him.

She smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter; he's quiet now and he's resting."

"Tell ya what," he offered. "Let me grab a quick shower and when I'm finished I'll take him for a while so you can get some rest." His right hand shot up when she started to protest. "You're not gonna be any good to him if you're asleep on your feet."

"Kyle, you're working a split shift."

"Split shift hasn't got anything on walking the floor for hours on end with a fussy baby." He grinned at her and winked before leaving the room.

When he came back downstairs a while later he followed the smell of cooking food into the kitchen. He paused to lift the baby out of her arms before moving to the wooden rocking chair in the corner of the room.

"Maybe you should take a couple days off, Maria," he suggested, knowing she wouldn't do it. "You've been on your feet all weekend."

"You're worse than a mother," she complained, but the words were accompanied by an affectionate smile. "I'll be fine."

"Will you at least let me take him for a couple of hours and go get some rest?"

"Yes, mother, just as soon as I finish dinner."

"I noticed Dad and Amy called."

"They want to come for a visit."

"Um-hmm. Kinda figured that out all by myself." He tipped his head back to rest against the high back of the chair. "The message they left on the answering machine was fairly self-explanatory."

"I didn't feel like talking to her, Kyle. The last couple of days have been stressful enough without adding an argument with my mother to it."

"You realize she's been trying to find a way to talk to you; she's trying to mend fences."

"I'm not interested in anything she has to say. She's the one who made the decision to…" Her voice wavered for a moment before she could bring it under control. "She kicked me out, Kyle."

"And she's trying to find a way to fix that mistake," he said gently. "She's made the first move, honey; maybe it's time to let it go." He shifted the little boy sleeping in his arms to a more comfortable position. "He deserves to know his grandparents." He looked up at her again. "Give her a chance, Maria. If you won't do it for her or yourself, do it for him."

"I'll think about it." She shrugged. "That's the best I can give you right now."

"Hey, I'll take what I can get." He fell silent as she dished the food onto plates and set them on the table. While she was getting glasses down from the cabinet he stood and carried the baby down the hall to the nursery.

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Moonlight lay in wide strips across the floor, disturbed by his shadow when he crossed in front of the windows. After dinner Maria had gone to lie down and before long his nephew had awoken and started to cry.

"Y'know, you've gotta start sleeping normally, kid; your mom's gotta work in the morning and she doesn't get any rest when you don't sleep," Kyle said as he looked down at the boy. The three-month-old was staring at him, his deep brown eyes focused on the man that held him. "It's amazing how much you look like him."

The dark eyes, unruly dark blond hair, and the stubborn chin all belonged to the man who had fathered him. Kyle only hoped that if his own father and stepmother came for a visit Amy could ignore the obvious and work on repairing her relationship with her daughter.

He glanced down when the tiny hand clutching his shirt relaxed. He paced around the room a few more times, making sure the baby was asleep before he eased down onto the couch and stretched out.

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Michael Guerin ran a hand through his messy light brown hair and stared morosely at the rain pounding against the windows. He leaned his forehead against the cold pane and closed his eyes against the relentless memories that had been pushing to be noticed all morning. Against his will they rose to the surface, the memories ripping open old wounds and leaving him emotionally raw. In his minds eye he was standing in his old apartment in Roswell, New Mexico facing the only person who had ever understood him. Unable to stop the flashes of memory he was forced to watch himself destroy the one person who had meant more to him than life itself.

_**It wasn't possible,**_** he thought, attempting to control the panic rising to the surface. **_**They had taken every possible precaution to prevent this from happening. It wasn't fair; he was finally kicking the dust of this crappy little town off of his shoes and he was leaving.**_

"**How could you let this happen?" he demanded, his tone harsh.**

"**Me?! It took your help for me to be in this position, buddy."**

"**Well, what're you gonna do about it?"**

"**That's why I came to you."**

**Michael stared at her. "I don't know what you should do," he blurted out without thinking.**

"**You could at least pretend to be interested since this involves you too."**

**He was silent for several long minutes. "I'm not staying here and I don't want kids so I guess you should get rid of it."**

**The words were delivered in a dispassionate tone of voice and he didn't look at her as he spoke.**

"'**Get rid of it'?" she repeated brokenly.**

"**What'd you think I was gonna say?" he snapped. "You know I've only been hanging around here to finish school. You knew I was gonna leave as soon as we graduated." He slammed his fist on the counter in frustration.**

"**You said we would go together."**

"**Then you have a choice to make; you can't have it both ways." He ran a hand through his spiked hair.**

"**You want me to choose between you and our baby?" she asked, unable to believe what he was asking of her. "How can you – "**

"**It's very simple; you wanna go with me, you get rid of it."**

**Tears poured from her eyes as she tried to understand his cold ultimatum. She had been so certain that they were working toward a solid future and now that belief had been shattered.**

"**Turning on the waterworks won't change my mind."**

**She nodded and picked up her purse, gathering her dignity around her like a protective cloak as she moved to the door. "Goodbye, Michael."**

**He stared at the door as it closed behind her, not with a violent slam, as he would have expected but with a soft click.**

"**Fine!" he shouted as the closed door. "If that's the way you want it, you've got it!"**

He had left Roswell the night Maria had walked away from him and for the first few months he had stayed on the move. Every couple of weeks he would move to another city, unable to shake the feeling that he was being followed. He had felt Isabel's presence several times since leaving and he had to be ready to block her attempts to dream walk him on any given night.

He was positive that Max was the one following him so he had been careful to keep his stay in each city short. He knew Isabel would be feeding her brother any information she could get from his mind and that Max would be using that to track him down.

He couldn't say he was really surprised; Maria inspired that kind of loyalty in her friends. He didn't know why he had given her the ultimatum; he had known from the moment she had told him that she was pregnant that she would never voluntarily terminate the pregnancy.

"Michael?"

He blinked rapidly, seeing the small car in his driveway for the first time and turned away from the window to face the woman dripping on the floor as she stood on the threshold. He waved her inside and gave her a shaky smile. "You're soaked; why don't you go change into something dry."

Charlotte decided not to comment on the fact that his eyes weren't quite dry or the pain that was etched so clearly in his features. Yet. She nodded and made her way through the small house to the laundry room, knowing she had clothes folded up on the dryer. She had gotten into the habit of staying there on those nights when they sat up talking into the wee hours of the morning because he always insisted on her staying the night, worried about her driving back into the city when she was tired.

Gathering her clothes and a towel out of the hall closet she made her way to the bathroom to get changed. Once there she decided to just take a shower since she was already wet and she knew he wouldn't mind.

In the dining room Michael listened to the sounds of the shower running and knew she would be staying the night. Moving away from the window he walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, looking for something to make for dinner. With a shrug he settled on macaroni and cheese and Spaghetti O's. He didn't really care; it was food and he wasn't all that great at cooking anyway. Charlotte would tease him but she wouldn't make fun of him and that was just one of the reasons why she was his best friend.

"I see we're going gourmet tonight," she teased when she joined him half an hour later.

"Hey, only the best for you, Charlie," he returned, his tone light.

His tone didn't fool her. Something was bothering him and before the night was over she would find out what it was. She grabbed the bottle of Tabasco sauce out of the fridge on her way to the table with the plates and silverware. They made small talk over dinner then goofed off while they washed and dried the dishes. She waited until they had settled on the couch in the living room, the only light coming from the fire he had built in the fireplace before she brought up the subject of his earlier mood.

"Am I gonna have to drag it out of you?" she asked quietly, watching him closely for his reaction.

He opened his mouth to deny her implication that something was wrong but closed it a moment later. He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed roughly. "I walked out on her ten months ago today." He chuckled but the sound held no humor. "My kid's gotta be close to three months old now and I don't even know whether it's a boy or a girl."

Charlotte was the only one outside of his friends back home who knew the whole story and she had never judged him for his lack of responsibility in regards to his past. She hadn't held back when giving her opinion and he had always respected her honesty even if it had made him face things he'd rather not.

"Do you want to know?" she asked bluntly.

"I don't know." He looked at her, his dark eyes troubled. "Does it really matter?"

"What do you mean? Of course it matters; he or she is your child too." She leaned her elbow on the back of the couch and rested her chin in her hand. "Out of all of the things I've ever heard you say about Maria, all the different ways you've described her, vindictive was never one of the words."

"No, that's not a word I would ever associate with her."

"Then what're you worried about?"

He shrugged his right shoulder and turned to stare into the fireplace. "Ten months is a long time, Charlie; a long time to go without hearing a single word from the father of your child. She spent her whole life trying to come to terms with the fact that her father abandoned her and her mother and then I turned around and did the same damned thing to her."

"You think she won't forgive you? Or, you think maybe she doesn't love you anymore?"

"How could she? After the things I said to her that night… I don't even know if she's okay…"

"You said that you've stopped feeling Isabel's presence, right?"

"Yeah."

"But you're sure Max is still looking for you?"

"Without a doubt."

"Let him find you." She held a hand up when he started to protest. "He'll know how Maria is doing and how that baby is. You've said before that you were all close so chances are good that he'll know what's going on at home even if he is looking for you."

"Max will be out for blood, Charlie. He's Mr. Responsibility; he would've never gotten Liz pregnant and left her to handle it alone. Liz is her best friend so if he doesn't kill me she will. Isabel probably won't talk to me ever again because I left without a word and I blocked every attempt she made to dream walk me. I don't really know about Kyle; he was probably closer to Isabel than any of the others that last year."

"You're leaving out the most important person."

"Maria's got a big heart and God knows she forgave me for some pretty stupid things but what I did to her… I turned her biggest fear into a reality."

"Are you interested in going back for her?"

"She wouldn't want me back after the stunt I pulled, Charlie."

"I didn't say it'd be easy, I simply asked if you were thinking about it."

He shrugged his right shoulder and dropped his gaze. "It's a little scary… actually, it's a lot scary. I don't think I'm cut out to be a father."

"Because of Hank?"

"He's definitely part of the reason."

"There's a difference in being abusive and having a temper, Michael."

He snorted softly. "Maria used to say the same thing but how much more abusive can you get than destroying the woman that you claim to love?"

Charlotte took in the defeated slump to his broad shoulders and the dejected look in his expressive eyes and within moments she had shifted so she was beside him, pulling him into her arms and rocking him gently. She knew walking out on Maria and his unborn child haunted him and he didn't know how to make it right. That pain combined with his own self-hatred was what inspired his work and it was why all of his sculptures were so dark.

With very little resistance she managed to rearrange their positions so they were lying down and he was held securely in her arms. Tension thrummed through his big body and she knew it would be a while before it dissipated and he relaxed into sleep. Michael was an enigma and she had a feeling that there was only one person in the universe who was capable of truly understanding him. Her mind drifted back to the day that he had opened up to her as her hands continued to stroke soothingly over his back.

They had connected from the very first time they had met and she had known immediately that he was special. She hadn't known that he was more than human until she had wrecked her car trying to avoid a turtle of all things and he had torn the door off of its hinges to get to her. She had been barely conscious when his hand had settled over her leg where a piece of metal had lacerated her flesh and severed an artery. Her aura, which had been rapidly fading into a dull shade of black began to change colors, brightening with each passing second until her eyes had opened and she had seen his aura. It was normally a dark red or a dark green but at that moment it had been aqua, the color that symbolized healing and she had known right then that he was different than anyone else on earth.

As soon as she had been able to breathe again and they had made it back to his place she had been insisting on an explanation. The terror in his eyes had been unmistakable and she had quickly tried to put his mind at ease. She wasn't the least bit interested in sharing his secrets with the world and she had never betrayed his trust. The fact that he was from another planet might have surprised most people and probably would've terrified them, but she believed in the paranormal and she had taken it in stride. Their friendship had only gotten stronger after that day and as time had passed he had eventually told her what had happened to lead him to her corner of the world.

She knew all about his abusive foster father Hank and how the man had just up and left when Michael was sixteen. She knew about Max and Isabel Evans, knew they were the only family he had. But most of the time he talked about Maria and it was obvious that even though he had left her the way he had that he was still in love with her. She was certain that in time he would return home in the hopes that she could forgive him and take him back.

She glanced down when his body suddenly relaxed against her and she knew he was asleep. She pulled the afghan off of the back of the couch and shifted it around until it covered both of them. She knew from past experience that he would wake long before she did and he would carry her into the second bedroom and tuck her in before heading out to the garage where he would try once again to exorcise his demons using chisel and stone.

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She sat on the beach oblivious to the cold wind that whipped around her and the waves that crept closer and closer to her with each passing roll of the tide. Her eyes were focused on something that only she could see; her expression troubled and so lost that it broke his heart. She had been on the run for months, trying to hide from the past as well as the future and he had watched as she had become a mere shell of the vibrant woman she had been.

"What've you done to yourself, Isabel?" he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him. Making a decision he knew the Others wouldn't approve of he allowed his being to make the temporary transition back into human form.

Isabel blinked when the air in front of her began to shimmer but immediately blamed it on a combination of her watery eyes and the moonlight reflecting off of the ocean. Closing her eyes against the light she rested her forehead on her raised knees and quickly lost herself to her thoughts.

"Do you have any idea how much work it takes to take human form?" Her head shot up so quickly he feared she might have hurt herself.

Isabel stared at him in disbelief for several shocked, silent minutes before deciding that she had finally lost her grip on the last thread of her sanity.

"You're not crazy," he said gently.

She snorted derisively. "And you're not really here and you're not talking to me but I can see you and hear you all the same." She shook her head and her gaze shifted back to the ocean. "You left a long time ago, Alex; don't start messing with my head now." She knew the words were tinged with bitterness and hurt and she knew they would hurt him if he were real. _But he isn't real,_ she thought hysterically.

"I'm as real as I can be on this plane of existence, Isabel." He hid a smile when she turned to face him with a glare on her expressive features. "Yes, I can read your thoughts," he said before she could voice the question. "Do you think it's harder for you to believe in my existence than it was for me to believe in yours?"

"Don't talk to me in riddles," she snapped angrily. "You're a ghost."

"So? You're an alien."

She drew back when he crouched down in front of her, his smile so achingly familiar that it broke her heart. Without her permission her right hand reached out to touch his cheek, surprised when she came in contact with warm flesh. "It's not possible."

"It's possible," he countered, "but it's only temporary; I can't sustain this form indefinitely." He made a vague motion at the deserted beach around them. "What're you doing here, Isabel? Why aren't you with the others? You need each other."

"I used to believe that but now…"

"Now what? You think because you've scattered to the four winds that you don't need each other anymore?"

"You don't understand," she muttered. "Everything's different now."

"So make me understand." He moved behind her and sat down, pulling her back to rest against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "You used to be able to talk to me about everything under the sun. How many nights did we spend with me holding you just like this? Or making love in the moonlight and talking until the sun came up without a single secret between us?"

"You must know what's going on," she hedged.

"I know where everyone is and I've kept an eye on them but to be honest, Isabel, you're the one that concerns me. The others all have someone to lean on." He rested his chin on her shoulder, enjoying the feeling of having her pressed against him. "Even Michael's found someone to keep him sane until he finds his way back home. He's not involved with her romantically," he assured her when he felt her tense up. "But she'll be the one who gets him back to Maria."

"Max and Liz are looking for him."

"They won't find him. The trail's gone cold… literally." He chuckled at his own joke. "Max needs to realize that he can't just drag Michael back and force him to do what he thinks he should do. He'll come back when the time's right and they won't be far behind him. But I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine," she protested.

"You're not fine, Isabel. You were starting to live again but when Maria got pregnant the group divided and you withdrew from everyone."

"Not everyone." She squirmed uncomfortably, certain that she knew where he was going with his observations. She hadn't been able to hide anything from him when he was alive so how did she think she could achieve that when he had the ability to read her mind?

"No? Does your brother know where you are? Am I mistaken in my belief that you've stopped communicating with him?"

"He's been gone for nine months, Alex; we haven't had a lot of time to talk."

"Don't give me that bull. Other people may fall for it but you know me better than that and I damn sure know you better than that. You closed yourself off from Maria and Kyle as soon as you heard that she was pregnant and we both know why you did that. As a matter of fact, Kyle is the only other person on this planet who knows the reason and you ran away from him. Why? Isabel Evans doesn't run from anything, so you tell me why you cut them out of your life. Tell me," he whispered harshly.

Isabel shivered when his lips brushed against her ear. "You know why!" she hissed.

"I want you to tell me."

"I couldn't stay there, Alex! I couldn't be around her, watching her go through that after having the very same thing taken away from me! It hurt too much," she sobbed, turning to bury her face against his chest.

"Why didn't you talk to Kyle? You had opened up to him so much… you told him about our baby, about miscarrying her after the fight with Whitaker to save Tess… why didn't you talk to him about this?" He rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles as he tried to ease her pain.

"I couldn't… I was afraid…"

"Because you had started to have feelings for him," Alex said quietly, "and you felt guilty for that. Falling in love with him doesn't betray me in any way, Isabel."

"I am _not_ falling in love with Kyle Valenti," she insisted as she dried her eyes and sniffed delicately.

"I've got a news flash for you, sweetheart; you _are_ in love with him. Maybe you've forgotten but I know what you look like when you're in love." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I know you're scared of letting yourself care that deeply again and it's okay to be scared as long as you don't let it dictate how you live your life." He placed two fingers under her chin and tipped her head back so he could look directly into her eyes. "Don't be afraid to live and don't be afraid to be yourself; he knows you and he loves you." He rested his forehead against hers and grinned. "Kyle Valenti?"

"He's not all that different from you." She smiled at his indignant snort. "I'm serious. He's a lot different than the high school jock persona that he presented when we were in school. And I do think he's pretty special," she admitted finally.

"He'd have to be. He loves you and if he's worthy of having that love returned he'd have to be special. California doesn't deserve you and you deserve more than it'll ever be able to give you. Go back to the people who love you and understand you…" He paused when he felt the tingling moving through his body. "Go back to him, Isabel, and let him love you the way you deserve to be loved. Loving another man doesn't betray me but giving up on life, cutting yourself off from love, and just existing… that does betray me. It betrays everything we had together. You have to know that I would never want you to keep your heart locked up and never take a chance on love again just because I can't be the one holding you every night. And Kyle's a good man; he loves you for who you are and he'll never try to change you."

Isabel looked down when the arms wrapped tightly around her waist became translucent for several seconds before solidifying once again. "Alex?"

"I'm not gonna be able to maintain this form for much longer," he explained, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. "Promise me you'll go back to him and give him a chance."

"I'm not the one who will be giving anyone a chance; I'm the one who left, remember?"

He smiled knowingly. "Yeah, but you're Isabel Evans and no man – especially one who loves you – will ever turn his back on a chance to have you in his life. Trust me on this; I know what I'm talking about. Things will work out if you just give them a chance." The tingling was getting stronger and he could feel his hold on his human form slipping. "It's time for me to go," he said quietly.

Isabel nodded, having no choice but to accept the inevitable. "Will I see you again?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I'll be around, keeping an eye on things and watching over you." He lifted her chin and lowered his head fitting their mouths together as her arms came around him. His tongue swept across her bottom lip and the request for entrance was granted without thought or hesitation. His right hand caressed her cheek as he gentled the kiss and withdrew to stare into her dark eyes. "I'll love you for eternity, Isabel, but the sun's coming up," he said with a nod over his shoulder, "and it's time for you to start living again."

"I love you, Alex," she whispered, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to watch him disappear from her life again. When she opened them again she was alone with the sunrise and the echo of her promise to him.

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Max Evans slouched down behind the steering wheel of the Jeep, waiting for the engine to warm up, and stared at the white landscape that surrounded him. He hated the color white and he hated snow almost as much; it brought back memories of being trapped and helpless at the hands of the agent who had been ready to dissect him. Three years after surviving the close call and it still haunted him.

He straightened up and put the Jeep into gear, his tired eyes scanning over the construction site as he pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the road, thankful he wouldn't be seeing it for the next two days. He was exhausted after a solid week of working sixteen hours a day and he just wanted to fall into bed for at least twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. He drove through the small town that was home until they could figure out their next step, barely focusing on the traffic lights as he drove the route he could have driven in his sleep.

He sat in front of the apartment building for several minutes before he was able to convince his legs to cooperate and carry him to his front door.

He unlocked the door of the apartment and quietly entered the darkened living room. He shrugged out of his coat and dropped it in a chair along with his gloves before bending over to unlace his boots and kick them off. He cursed Michael's name as he moved into the tiny kitchen and opened the refrigerator to pull out the orange juice, unscrewing the top and drinking straight from the carton. He knew if Liz caught him she'd have his head on a platter but he was too tired to care and he was fairly certain that she was asleep anyway.

He put the juice away and padded quietly into the bedroom where he confirmed that Liz was indeed asleep. After a quick shower he pulled on boxers and a tee shirt and slid under the covers beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders when she rolled over and snuggled against his side.

A year ago he would never have guessed that he would be living in a rundown apartment in some small town in Idaho with Liz. It was definitely not the life he would have chosen for either of them and he blamed it all on Michael. He had no qualms whatsoever about putting the blame squarely on the other man's shoulders. For the past nine months they had been chasing him and he knew they had come close twice, once in Chicago and one other time in South Dakota. Both times he had managed to stay just far enough ahead of them as to stay out of their grasp. They had ended up in Idaho nearly two months earlier and the trail had gone cold in more ways than one, leaving them with the unpleasant task of finding jobs that were slightly more permanent than the ones they had been taking previously.

He was torn between going back home and continuing to chase after Michael. The first couple of weeks his sister had been able to dream walk him, picking up miniscule bits of information that had helped them stay on Michael's trail but before long he had figured out how to block her and she had eventually stopped trying. She had stopped all communication with the group not long after and she had left Roswell without letting anyone know where she was going. They hadn't had any contact with her since then and she had blocked every attempt he had made to dream walk her, giving him no clues as to where she might have gone. It worried him that so much distance had grown between him, Isabel, and Michael but he didn't know how to change it or how to fix it.

They checked in regularly with Maria and Kyle to let them know what was going on and to make sure things were fine on the home front. He knew Liz regretted not being there for Maria during the pregnancy, especially after she had found out that Amy had kicked her out of the house. Maria had been quick to reassure her that she was where she was needed most and she had relayed many humorous tales about Kyle and his reactions to different things that had happened while she was pregnant.

Both he and Liz had been vocal in their belief that it was too dangerous for Maria to keep the baby and it had been too close on the heels of his own brush with fatherhood. Tess had used her powers to fool them all into believing that she was pregnant with his child, certain that the guilt and responsibility that came with that knowledge would be enough to convince him that they were supposed to be together. It had nearly worked; he didn't like to think about how close he came to going back to a planet where she had been planning to turn him over to their enemy. They would have been slaughtered upon their arrival and the only reason he and Isabel hadn't gone was because of the sudden revelation of her culpability for Alex's death.

It had taken a lot of work to get his relationship with Liz back on track and he hadn't even considered going after Michael alone. When she had informed him that she was going with him he had asked her once, and only once, if she was sure. He hadn't questioned her decision to accompany him even though there were times that he wished things were different. They were supposed to be in college not moving from city to city and job to job in their pursuit of their rogue friend.

They had been in South Dakota when Maria had gone into labor and they had spent nearly two days waiting to hear how she and the baby were. They had no way of knowing how the baby could affect her or how being born on earth could affect the baby. Tess had obviously lied about that as well because the baby had been born with no complications, just a very long and painful labor which Maria had blamed entirely on Michael. According to Kyle, who had been with her throughout the entire thirty-seven hour ordeal she had been very graphic and detailed with her thoughts about the father of her baby and they hadn't been pretty.

They had been relieved when the baby had been born healthy and apparently one hundred percent human. They hadn't seen any of their family since leaving Roswell and other than the occasional phone call they hadn't talked to them much. Their parents hadn't approved of their decision to put off college and travel across the country so any conversations with them were tense and usually short. Most of the time they called Amy and Jim Valenti if they needed a friendly ear and a paternal tone; the couple knew the truth about them and they were always ready to help any way they could.

"How come you're not sleeping?" Liz murmured, shifting around and burying her nose against his neck.

"Just thinking." He raised one hand to rub at his gritty eyes.

"Isabel?"

"I just wish we knew where she was. It took so long for her to get back to anything resembling normal after we lost Alex."

Liz smiled. "Yeah, who knew Kyle would be the one to help her?"

"Who knew he would be the one to step up to the plate and help Maria?" He sighed deeply. "I just don't understand why she became so withdrawn after we found out Maria was pregnant. She wouldn't talk to me about it and now she's gone and she's still blocking my only means of communicating with her."

"If she's blocking you then you know she's still out there; you've said before it would be completely different if she was hurt or something. You said it'd be like the connection between you had been severed but when she's blocking you it's like you're getting a busy signal."

"Yeah, but it's frustrating. The three of us have never been out of contact this long before. I swear I'm gonna kick Michael's ass when we find him; I'm so tired of this!" he grated out.

_Oh, it was gonna be one of those nights,_ she thought. Liz stroked a hand along his arm in a soothing motion, enjoying the feel of the muscle and sinew that shifted under his flesh at her touch. Most of the jobs he had taken while they were tracking Michael down had been with construction companies and she was definitely reaping the rewards of all of his hard work. His upper body had filled out, the muscles firm and toned courtesy of all of the manual labor he had been doing.

"You should get some sleep, Liz; it's already after four."

She pushed herself up on her elbows and stared down at him in the darkness. "We'll find them, Max."

"How? We lost his trail two months ago and I don't know where to go from here."

"Would you rather go home?" She nodded when he didn't respond. "How about a compromise?"

"What?"

"We give it three more months and if we don't have anything by then we'll go home."

"What about Isabel?"

"If she hasn't come home by then… well, I guess we know what our next mission will be," she said with a smile. "And, hey, I know some of the jobs we've had have sucked big time and three feet of snow looks much better in the movies, but you have to admit some good has come out of it."

Max just barely caught himself before he made the fatal mistake of asking what good she could possibly think had come out of the past nine months. He knew she was referring to their relationship and the fact that they hadn't been prepared for living together and everything that it entailed. The first few months had been filled with tension as they had learned each other's boundaries and gradually settled into a routine that worked for both of them.

She reached for his left hand with hers and stretched them out so that the weak moonlight that filtered in through the window glinted off of the matching rings they wore. They had gotten married three months earlier by a justice of the peace in the town they had been staying in and only Kyle and Maria were aware of their marital status.

"Maybe we'll all be together by next Christmas, Max."

"Maybe," he agreed, rolling onto his side. "I'm sorry, I really don't mean to be such a jerk."

"You're not a jerk," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him. "Not all the time anyway, so I forgive you."

He chuckled quietly in the darkness and wrapped his arms around her.

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Michael studiously ignored the pounding on the door and carefully tapped on the chisel he was balancing in his left hand. Stepping back from the table he eyed the afternoon's work for several long minutes before selecting a different chisel and starting to gently etch the delicate details into the marble. The pounding continued in earnest and he finally dropped the tools on the table along with his safety glasses and stalked to the door. He was prepared to verbally blast the person on the other side but she was off and running before he had a chance to speak.

"I turned down a date with a man who could have potentially been the father of my children because you are my best friend and you asked me to come and have dinner with you and your neighbors," Charlotte rambled as she walked past him, picking up one of the chisels and waving it around in time with her words. "So maybe you can explain why you're out here chipping away instead of getting ready when we're supposed to be at their house in…" She glanced at her watch. "Oh, less than half an hour?"

"I can be ready in five minutes," he growled as he moved to take the chisel out of her hand and place it back on the table. He had just barely picked up the tools he had discarded to answer the door when she plucked them out of his hands and held them behind her back.

"Potential father of my children, Michael," she repeated with an impressive roll of her eyes. "I turned down dinner with this man for you so if you don't mind I'd appreciate it if you would not do the whole three minute power shower followed by the search for a shirt that hasn't been washed but still has at least one more good wear in it." She folded her arms across her chest and raised an imperious eyebrow. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously when he suddenly grinned and shrugged in defeat. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, motioning to the door. He followed her outside, turning the lights off and locking up before walking up to the house. _She reminded him so much of Maria at_ _times,_ he thought. He was sure at some point in their relationship Maria had given him that same speech and he couldn't help the grin that had surfaced in response to her words.

"You're not gonna wear black are you?"

"We're not going anywhere fancy, Charlie; we're just going to their house." Michael glared at her but it had no affect at all. "I like the color black," he insisted.

"Wear the green shirt."

"I don't like the green shirt and I'm not wearing it."

Charlotte followed him, intending to make her point and found herself facing the door to his bedroom when he closed it in her face. She turned on her heel as soon as she heard the shower come on and wandered into the dining room. There were papers scattered all over the table but her eyes were drawn to the stamped envelope lying on top of the most organized pile.

"Well, well, well," she murmured, picking it up to read the address hastily printed across the front. "Roswell, huh?" She frowned when she realized it was sealed and turned to hold it up to the light in an attempt to see what was inside. "I hate security envelopes… can't see a thing – "

"I think that's the point," Michael said, smirking when she shrieked and threw the envelope up in the air.

"You are so not funny," she grumbled, slapping his shoulder when he bent down beside her to retrieve the envelope. "When did you start writing Maria?"

He stared at the white envelope, his finger tracing over the familiar address. "It doesn't matter," he said quietly as he dropped it on the table. "She's never responded. I write her once a month… this one will be number eight and I doubt she'll respond to this one either."

"There could be a reason why she hasn't responded to the letters, Michael."

"Yeah, she doesn't want anything to do with me." He cleared his throat and left the room before she could respond. "You ready to go?" he hollered from the bedroom. He took her silence for an affirmative answer and grabbed his keys off of the kitchen counter before joining her once more. "I know what you're thinking, Charlie, and you can just stop it right now."

"What?" she asked, her tone and expression pure innocence. "I'm not thinking anything at all." Her eyes raked over him disapprovingly. "I don't see the green shirt."

"And you're not going to." He flattened his hand over his standard black tee shirt, the only difference being the band promoted on the front. "Tell me about the potential father of your children," he said, changing the subject and taking her arm to steer her out the front door. "Did you get his number?"

Charlotte let the subject drop temporarily and hooked her arm through his. "Um-hmm, and we're having dinner tomorrow night."

Michael only half listened as she prattled on and on about the man she was having dinner with the next night, most of his thoughts focused on the letter he had left on the table. They walked along the well-worn path that wound through the wooded area between the two houses, side-stepping the small puddles left by the earlier rain.

"You're not listening to a word I'm saying."

"Yes, I am. His name's Dick, he's six two, dark hair, green eyes, a doctor, divorced, no kids, and two dogs."

She rolled her eyes. "His name is Richard."

"Whatever. Do I need to come with you to make sure he stays in line?"

"No. The last time you felt the need to do that my date went to the restroom and never came back."

"Hey, I didn't make him crawl through the bathroom window."

"You intimidated him."

"Are you two at it again?" a female voice asked.

They paused in their bickering and looked up at the woman who had spoken, their expressions sheepish at being caught once again.

Jennifer Beckett had to smile at the picture they made standing there. She knew it was only a matter of time before they started to blame each other for the squabble they were in the middle of. She and her husband Leo had gotten to know the two of them fairly well over the past few months and they were a constant source of amusement. They fought and played like siblings, they were very protective of each other, and she suspected that Charlotte was the only person Michael confided in. They hadn't been able to break the ice with him until they had approached him on a day when she had been at his house. Jennifer wouldn't say he was anti-social but he didn't go out of his way to be friendly either.

"He's threatening to go on my date with me tomorrow night and I was just trying to explain why that is just a really bad idea," Charlotte said with a frown in his direction.

Michael just shrugged. "Where's Leo?"

"Too much estrogen, Michael?"

He rolled his eyes at his friend's teasing taunt and looked at Jennifer again. She was a couple inches under six feet, blond, and blue-eyed. She was attractive if you were into that look but he had a personal preference for short, leggy blondes with green eyes.

"He's inside trying to hook up that monstrosity he just had to have."

She was muttering something about boys and their toys when Michael sprinted up the front steps and disappeared inside the house. He hurried down the hall, making a turn into the sunken den and staring in awe at the electronic wonder that his neighbor was trying to program.

"I thought she nixed the big screen?" Michael said as he stepped down into the room to join the other man beside the television.

Leo Beckett pushed his glasses further up on his nose and grinned at the younger man. "She changed her mind."

"Uh-huh, what'd it cost you?"

"Michael my boy, you're way too suspicious for your age." He ran a hand through dark hair that was beginning to turn gray at his temples. "I'll admit it took some convincing… as well as a promise that we would spend the holidays with her family this year… and I may have had to agree to take her on that cruise she's been talking about for the past few years but you've gotta admit…"

They glanced at each other before turning to face the television.

"Definitely worth it," they agreed in unison.

"Sixty-two inches of in-your-face Technicolor," Leo crowed proudly. "And the timing couldn't be any better since the first game of the NHL playoffs is on tonight." The sound of a baby crying interrupted him and he tossed the remote and instruction manual to the younger man. "See if you can get that programmed while I check on her."

Michael quickly lost himself in the technical jargon printed in the manual, fascinated by the features and functions available. He was so absorbed with the on-screen menu and the variety of choices that Charlotte startled him when she came up beside him and placed her hand on his arm.

"Dinner's ready," she said quietly.

Her hushed tone caught his attention and he turned to look at her but the question died on his tongue. She was holding Morgan, the couples' five-month-old daughter and gently swaying, the constant motion obviously soothing for the baby.

"Just to warn you, they're gonna ask you to baby-sit on Saturday night."

"What?"

Charlotte bit the inside of her cheek to control the laughter that wanted to escape at his panicked expression, knowing that it wasn't an act. "I'll come over and help you," she offered. "C'mon, Michael, they just wanna go out for a nice, quiet dinner without any interruptions."

"Well, why didn't they ask you?"

"Probably because it's your house and they know we're not a couple so they don't just assume that I'm making your decisions for you. C'mon, it'll be fun."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: Probably should have put this at the beginning of the first chapter - Don't own Roswell or its Characters - obviously!**_

Michael stared apprehensively at the baby in his neighbor's arms as he wondered for the tenth time in half as many minutes where Charlotte was. _It was her fault he was in this_ _predicament in the first place,_ he thought.

"You're early," he blurted out unnecessarily.

"Jen kicked me out so she could get ready," Leo said, not the least put off by the younger man's abrupt words. He followed him inside and passed him to go into the kitchen. "So I thought I'd go ahead and bring Morgan over."

Michael just watched him as he moved around his kitchen getting a bottle ready and fussing over the baby. "How'd you know you'd be a good father?"

Leo looked up from feeding his daughter when Michael posed the unexpected question. He had a feeling that his answer was somehow important so he considered his words carefully.

"Honestly? I didn't really know if I'd be a good father or not. I panicked when Jen told me she was pregnant," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "I mean we'd been married for three years and it hadn't happened so I thought we were in the clear. I didn't really want kids… never had in fact." He paused to take a deep breath. "Let's just say my childhood was less than ideal and leave it at that. There were a few times during her pregnancy when I was sure we weren't gonna make it and I even moved out once."

Michael's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"It wasn't one of my smarter moves and I regret it to this day. But the first time I held my daughter and I looked down at this tiny person that I had helped create…"

"Everything fell into place?" Michael guessed.

Leo shook his head and laughed. "No. She scared the hell out of me; I was terrified. I just kept seeing all the things that could go wrong, everything that I could screw up and all of the sudden that tiny little hand wrapped around my thumb and she just stared at me with those big blue eyes and I promised myself that I'd be the best father I could be. There are still days when I question whether I'm a good father or not but Jen always manages to keep me going." He paused and looked up at the man lounging in the doorway. "You ever thought about having kids, Michael?"

"Not a lot," he answered with a shrug, turning his head to the side when the back door burst open.

"I am sooooo sorry," Charlotte apologized as she hurried inside and tossed her overnight bag in the general direction of the living room. "I had a couple of late customers and then Richard came by when I was on my way out."

"I thought you weren't gonna see him again?"

"I never said that." She ignored his disapproving stare and turned to Leo, preferring to carry on a conversation with the friendly man.

Michael wandered into the living room and slouched down at one end of the couch, snatching up the remote and scanning the channels for something to watch.

Charlotte joined him after seeing Leo out, concerned when he didn't respond to her calling his name. "Michael?"

He blinked and looked up, aware by her tone of voice that she had called him more than once. "Sorry," he mumbled, "what'd you say?"

"I was gonna get started on dinner but I kinda need both hands." She cocked her head to the side when he didn't move. "Michael, you did go to the store and pick up everything I called and told you to pick up, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Can't you just wait till she goes to sleep?"

"Yes, I could but I'm hungry now so you're gonna hold her while I get dinner started."

"No."

Her right eyebrow quirked at his adamant refusal.

"You're the one who wanted to watch the kid, Charlie." He threw the remote on the coffee table and stood up. "I didn't want anything to do with it but you just jumped at the chance to get your hands on the kid. Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to run my life you could settle down with someone and have your own – " His mouth snapped shut and he had to look away from the anguish in her eyes. "I'm sorry," he apologized, his voice loud in the silence that followed on the heels of his outburst. "I didn't mean – "

"No, it's fine."

But he knew it wasn't fine and they spent the rest of the evening in silence. He left the house to go for a walk and clear his head after dinner, hoping to avoid the happy couple when they returned to pick up their daughter. _His mouth really shouldn't be allowed to_ _operate without consulting his brain first,_ he mused as he sat on a boulder and stared at the moonlight reflecting off of the river.

Charlotte had confided in him about her inability to have children and he had just used that knowledge as a weapon. Unintentionally, but that didn't make the wound any less painful. He had been able to read the pain and betrayal in her expression with ease and knowing he was responsible for putting it there hurt.

Her parents had stayed together because they were just too stubborn to let go of a marriage that made them both miserable and she had spent her childhood caught in the crossfire. The car accident responsible for her not being able to have children had happened her sophomore year of high school and her parents had been so busy arguing over whose fault the accident was that they had been oblivious to her pain. The only time she had been happy growing up had been the weekends and summers spent with her grandfather at his cabin in the Rocky Mountains. She talked about him a lot and from those conversations he knew he was the one who had encouraged her belief in all things paranormal. Her ability to be so open-minded as well as her knowledge of the stars could be attributed to her grandfather.

"I know you didn't mean it."

He didn't move, deciding it would be best to let her approach him at her own pace. "I shouldn't have said it."

"No, you shouldn't have," she agreed, "but I know you didn't mean it." She stared up at the sky, her eyes searching out the different constellations for several long, silent minutes. "I'm going home." Her hand shot up when he looked at her, his mouth open to protest. "I'll call you when I get home so you know I got there safely."

His first instinct was to insist she stay at his house; it was late and anything could happen to a single woman traveling alone but he could tell that she wasn't going to humor his cautious nature tonight. "Are we okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"We will be," she assured him. "I just need some space."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, wishing he could take the words back.

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Maria carefully lifted her son out of his car seat and shut the door as quietly as possible in an effort to not disturb his sleep. She navigated the sidewalk, sidestepping small patches of ice and made a mental note to remind Kyle to throw out more salt when he got home. She juggled her son, purse, briefcase, and the diaper bag while trying to single out her front door key.

"Need a hand?"

She just barely kept herself from screaming at the unexpected voice and turned to the intruder, planning to blast them for scaring her but the angry words lodged in her throat when her gaze settled on the woman sitting on the porch swing.

"Isabel?"

The tall blond was still stunning, the haunted look in her dark eyes the only thing that detracted from her beauty. They hadn't seen or heard from her in nearly a year and Maria wasn't sure what had brought her to them after so long.

"I was wondering if you had time to talk?"

"Of course," Maria said hastily. "Would you mind getting the door for me?"

Isabel looked around as she followed the other woman into the house, pausing to let her eyes wander over the framed photographs that lined the hallway. "God, were we really that carefree?" she asked, her fingertips tracing over a picture of the entire group taken their sophomore year.

"Believe it or not, we really were."

She followed Maria's voice into the living room, pausing in the doorway to watch her ease the little boy out of his winter outerwear. She untied the tiny hiking boots and slid them off of his feet, sitting them on the coffee table and glancing up at Isabel. "He'd be wearing cowboy boots if Kyle had his way," she said with a smile. "He's fully embraced his western heritage since we moved here and he's determined to make sure his nephew experiences it as often as possible." She tugged the hat off of the baby's head revealing the messy dark blond hair.

_Poor kid,_ Isabel thought with a smile.

"He's gonna be cranky when he wakes up."

"Is he sick?" Isabel asked when she noticed the other woman feeling the baby's forehead and cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Immunizations; they gave him three shots and he's running a low-grade fever."

"Maria?"

She looked up and immediately saw the pain reflected in the woman's dark eyes. "Isabel, I'd like you to meet your nephew, Michael Alexander Guerin." She stood and crossed the room to transfer the baby into her arms.

"He's so perfect," she whispered, sinking down into the closest chair.

Maria smiled. "Um-hmm, stick around for one of those days when his father's temperament is coming through and see if you still think he's perfect." She retreated to her seat on the couch.

"What do you call him?"

"Alex." She waited several minutes before she spoke again. "Where have you been, Isabel? We've all been so worried about you."

"Do you have time to talk? This could take a while."

"I have all the time you need; talk to me. You and Kyle were the only ones who really supported my decision when I told everyone I was pregnant but after that you wouldn't talk to me or anything."

"It wasn't you, Maria; it wasn't any of you. I couldn't deal with it… I couldn't be around you because it was killing me." She paused to take a deep breath. "I was pregnant and I lost the baby the night I… the night I killed Whittaker."

"The Skin that had captured Tess," Maria said thoughtfully. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I couldn't." She shook her head and lifted her right hand to catch an errant tear. "Look at how they reacted to your announcement. I was already suffocating under Max's heavy-handed ruling. I wanted to go to college out of state and he threatened to tell our parents all kinds of horrible lies to keep me in Roswell. I realize now that he was just afraid of what could happen to us if we were separated and he was doing what he could to keep everyone together but I couldn't breathe there anymore. Alex understood better than anyone else could have and he agreed that it was the wrong time to say anything about the baby. So we kept it to ourselves…"

"And the two of you suffered alone when you lost your baby."

"Alex was great but he was hurting too and I didn't know how to help him."

"Isabel, I'm sure you helped him more than you know; you guys loved each other so much. Honey, I wish I had known… this explains so much."

"I never meant to hurt you, Maria, and don't say I didn't because I know I did. You must have felt completely abandoned."

"Not completely," she said with a smile. "Kyle was an unexpected surprise and he's been great with Alex." She rolled her eyes. "Even if he is trying to turn my child into a cowboy." She pulled her legs up and tucked them underneath her, bracing her elbow on the arm of the couch and resting her chin in her hand.

"California," Isabel said, without looking up from the baby in her arms. "I've been living in San Diego."

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and reminiscing, laughing and crying. The last rays of sunlight had been replaced hours earlier by lamplight and Maria had urged Isabel to lie down on the couch when she had started to nod off, covering her with a light blanket before going into the kitchen to start dinner.

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Kyle cursed under his breath when he slipped on a patch of ice and nearly lost his footing on the sidewalk. Setting his things down on the porch he went to the shed that stood at the side of the house, picked up the bag of rock salt and hefted it onto his left shoulder before walking back around front. Once the sidewalk was salted to his satisfaction and he could see the ice beginning to melt, he salted the driveway before putting the bag away and going inside.

He hung his coat up in the hall closet, kicked his boots off, and emptied his pockets out onto the hall table before going into the kitchen and setting his lunchbox on the counter. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the plate Maria had fixed for him, uncovering it and sticking it in the microwave to heat then wandering into the living room to see what was on TV.

He turned one of the lamps on and was reaching for the remote when a movement off to his left caught his attention and he tensed up momentarily. He relaxed when he saw the blond-haired woman asleep on the couch, guessing that she had fallen asleep after a tiring day of dealing with Alex and his post-immunization irritability. He was turning back to the television when she shifted just enough to bring her face into view and he realized that the woman on the couch was not his sister. His breath caught in his throat and he shifted so that he could look at her more closely. He stared at her for several minutes, hardly daring to breathe for fear that she might wake.

_How was this possible?_ he wondered, brows furrowing as he took in the lines of fatigue that were etched into her features. As quietly as possible he stood and crept out of the room and down the hall to his sister's room.

"Maria?" He called her name quietly, not wanting to startle her. He reached out to shake her shoulder when she didn't respond. "Maria, wake up."

"Kyle?" she questioned, her voice raspy from sleep. "What's – "

"Isabel is sleeping on our couch."

"That's what you woke me up for?" She turned her back on him and burrowed back under the covers with the intention of going back to sleep.

"When did she get here? Why didn't you call me?"

"She was waiting for me when I got home from Dr. Kesler's office and I didn't call you because I knew you had to cover part of the night shift and I didn't see any reason to…" Her voice drifted off as sleep overtook her once more and soft snoring was her only contribution to the conversation from that point on.

Knowing that chances were slim to none that he'd get any kind of a coherent response out of her he left her room, stopping to check on Alex before returning to the kitchen to force his dinner down. He would be back on his regular schedule after tonight so he wouldn't need to be up after just a couple hours of sleep.

Against his will he found himself back in the living room leaning against the doorframe, a cup of hot coffee cradled in his hands. He rested his head against the wood as his tired eyes remained fixed on the woman who unknowingly owned his heart. Falling in love with her hadn't been in the plans but it had happened regardless of his intentions. He had never told her so he couldn't really blame her for leaving but it had hurt just the same.

He lost track of time as he stood there watching her sleep, moving only when the clock in the hall chimed the hour and he realized it was three in the morning. He checked the locks on the doors out of habit before settling down in the recliner, unwilling to leave her alone even though she didn't know he was there.

Too many double shifts and not enough sleep finally caught up with him and he fell asleep wondering what he would say to her the next morning. Would it be completely pathetic to let her know how much he had missed her? Should he just tell her how he felt or should he just keep it to himself and not let on how much her leaving had hurt him? His last thought made the decision for him. She couldn't possibly have the same feelings for him or she wouldn't have left without a word and kept her silence in the long months that followed. No, he had to protect himself from any further pain. He could be her friend but he couldn't let her get close enough to hurt him again.

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"Y'know, cowboy boots would go on so much easier," Kyle complained as he pushed the hiking boot onto Alex's right foot and tried to hold his leg still so he could tie the laces. "I don't know what your mother was thinking, buying anything that had to be tied."

Alex spit his pacifier out and squirmed around when Kyle reached for his other foot, howling in protest when his foot was caught and held firmly in his uncle's hand.

Kyle raised his head to see if all the noise had given Isabel a rude awakening and found her watching them, amusement dancing in the depths of her dark eyes.

"Sorry 'bout the noise," he apologized with a smile. "He's not real fond of wearing shoes; something that he obviously got from his father." He reached for the pacifier that was tethered to the baby's shirt and popped it back into his mouth, silencing his fussing.

"What makes you say that?"

Kyle snorted. "Have you ever seen the shoes in Maria's closet? His aversion to footwear obviously came from Michael's side because his mother does not have that particular problem. Trust me on this." He stood and lifted Alex up against his chest before shooting a quick glance in her direction. "We're on our way out so you should be able to get back to sleep."

"You do this every morning?"

"More often than not." He shrugged. "Gives Maria time to get ready without having to worry about getting him ready too and his sitter is on my way to work so… it works for both of us." He paused near the doorway and glanced at her again. "I'll get the guest room set up when I get home tonight so you can have some privacy."

"Kyle, are you all right with me staying here?"

He swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "I've really gotta get going so, we'll talk later, okay?"

Isabel watched him go certain that he wasn't being truthful with her. She hadn't expected it to be easy and it looked like he wasn't going to disappoint her.

"Hey, Isabel?"

She looked up when he appeared in the doorway, calling her name to get her attention.

"I'm glad you're okay and that you came back."

He was gone before she could reply.

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Charlotte looked up when a quiet tapping started against the window behind her, discounting it as a byproduct of the storm that had been raging all afternoon. She turned her attention back to the computer screen and a few minutes later the tapping stopped and she could hear the distinct sound of the window being raised. She was certain that every hair on her body was standing on end as she reached inside her top drawer and pulled out the small can, wrapping her fingers around it tightly.

Taking a deep breath she crept along the wall until she reached the blinds that were now moving as a hand pushed them aside. Grabbing the line that controlled the blinds' movements she gave it a yank, aimed her weapon and pulled the trigger.

Michael yelped at the unexpected attack and made the mistake of reaching up to rub his burning, stinging eyes.

"Michael?" Charlotte winced as she approached the soaked man who was now hanging over the windowsill, trying desperately to rid his eyes of the agonizing sensation. "Oh my God, I am so sorry."

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"Me!" she shouted incredulously. "You're the one breaking in. Just be glad I grabbed the pepper spray and not the stun gun." She rolled her eyes and leaned over him to grab the waistband of his jeans and pulled him the rest of the way inside, letting him fall to the floor in an undignified heap. "What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded to know as she closed the window and lowered the blinds. "I do have a front door you know."

"Could you at least wait to yell at me _after_ I've determined whether you've permanently blinded me or not?"

"I did not blind you, you big baby. Stop rubbing your eyes; that only makes it worse." She grabbed his arm, pulled him to his feet, and guided him down the hall to the bathroom. "We need to rinse your eyes out with cold water."

_This was unbelievable,_ he thought a while later. He was sitting on a hard chair in the office, elbows braced on his knees as he pressed a cold cloth against his eyes. The feeling that they were on fire had passed but they still stung and they were tearing up like crazy. Probably to get rid of all the pepper he had unknowingly forced deeper into his eyes by rubbing them. _What a painfully effective weapon._

"Do you carry that stuff on dates?"

"What?"

"The pepper spray; do you carry it on dates?"

"A girl can never be too careful." Charlotte watched him for several minutes. "Why are you here?"

"I haven't heard from you in a couple of weeks," he said with a shrug. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She frowned. "I called you two days ago and left a message on your machine. I said I'd see you this weekend."

"I may have… dropped the answering machine." He was almost glad for the stinging in his eyes since it meant he didn't have to face her. "And I may have… accidentally stomped on it a few times." He shrugged again. "It still records messages apparently; just doesn't play them."

"Well, if you had just waited two more days I would have showed up and you wouldn't have gotten hit with pepper spray."

"I already explained that, Charlie. I knocked on the front door and you didn't answer it and I tried tapping on the window and that didn't get your attention either. Look, I came here with a peace offering, okay?"

_Oh, this was gonna be good. _

"You got any plans for this weekend?"

Charlotte hesitated. "Why?"

"I've had a lot of time to do some serious thinking and I've decided that I… I want to go back to Maria. I've got to find out if she's okay."

"And you want to go this weekend?"

"No. If I'm gonna go back to her I've gotta be able to be around my kid. She won't accept anything less… if she'll even accept me back at all." He knew she wasn't following him. "Leo and Jen are gonna go away for the weekend and I offered to keep their kid while they're gone." He lowered the towel and looked up at her, his eyes red-rimmed and pleading. "Help me, Charlie."

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Max drove home at a slower speed than normal, enjoying the warm wind that blew through the open windows and brushed against his skin. Spring had arrived, bringing with it sunshine, warm days, green grass, and a release from the feeling of depression that had settled over him for the past few months. He turned the radio up, uncaring that the only station that came through clearly was country. Normally that irritated him but today nothing could ruin his good mood.

The fingers of his left hand tapped out a corresponding rhythm on the steering wheel and he shifted gears and changed lanes when he was just a few blocks from the restaurant where Liz was working. She was waiting for him when he pulled into the parking lot, climbing inside and leaning over to kiss him before he pulled back out onto the road. He glanced at her when her hand settled over his on the gearshift, her fingers slipping between his and interlocking.

"Did you get the weekend off?" he asked, his voice raised to be heard above the wind.

"Yeah, you?"

He nodded. "I was thinking about just driving for a while."

Liz just nodded her agreement and slid down in her seat, enjoying his good mood and watching his animated expressions as he described his day. The arrival of Spring had drastically improved his disposition and she knew that after seeing how the weather had affected his mood they would have to make certain that they lived somewhere with a temperate climate from now on. She hadn't expected the mood swings he had been plagued with when winter had finally settled in and they had caused more than one argument between them. As the snow had melted and the warmer weather had arrived she had noticed the change in him; he had started to lose the restlessness that had dogged his footsteps since the first snowfall and he had started to revert back to his easygoing self.

They had been driving for nearly an hour when her hand slid up to squeeze his forearm gently, drawing his questioning gaze to her in the fading light.

"We need to start back pretty soon; we're supposed to call Maria and Kyle at eight."

Max glanced at the digital time readout on the faceplate of the radio and nodded. On the drive back he listened to Liz relating the events of her day, letting her voice flow over him and enjoying the ease of their conversation. He knew there had been plenty of times over the past few months when he had been completely unbearable to live with and he hadn't seemed to be able to control the emotional highs and lows. He was aware that his mood had leveled out when the weather had changed and he fully agreed with Liz's belief that they needed to be living somewhere with a more moderate climate before the next winter season rolled around.

When they got back to their apartment he called the shower first, disappearing into the bathroom while Liz went after the phone. He nearly slipped and lost his footing in the tub when she shrieked and a moment later she burst through the door. Pushing the curtain back he took in her shocked expression and the stuttering that wasn't telling him anything. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, reaching for her and the phone at the same time. Lifting the handset up to his ear he started ranting to the person on the other end. "Kyle, what the – " He froze mid-rant when the person cut him off and started speaking. His eyes widened in shock when he recognized his sister's voice. "Isabel? When did you… what'd you…" They talked for several hours before hanging up and then he hurried to finish his shower while Liz started dinner.

They switched off a little while later and he finished dinner while she showered. He was setting the plates on the table when she came out and they settled down to talk over dinner.

"I know we agreed to three more months and we've still got a month of that left – "

"We could be ready to go tomorrow. We haven't got anything new to go on as far as Michael's concerned so maybe it's time to take a step back. Let's go to Colorado and spend some time with our family."

They spent the remainder of the evening discussing what they needed to do so they could leave as soon as possible.

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Isabel leaned back in the porch swing and watched Kyle over the top of the newspaper she had been pretending to read for the past half hour. Nearly a month had passed since she had showed up at their front door and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was avoiding her. He hadn't been blatant about it but he had been careful to make sure they were never alone together. Luckily Maria hadn't noticed anything amiss in their less than smooth interactions, which had been a big relief.

She had been working for the past two weeks, taking over the duties of the office manager for the pediatrician that Maria used. The woman who had formerly held that position had retired right after Isabel's arrival and the opening had been exactly what she was looking for. She had settled in quickly and being around family was helping her regain her balance. She had talked to Max and Liz the night before and hearing her brother's voice had made her realize just how much she really missed him. _Now if Kyle_ _would just cooperate,_ she thought.

He was taking advantage of the comfortably warm weather by cleaning out his truck – which was already spotless as far as she could tell. She craned her neck when he moved out of her line of sight and hurried back into her relaxed position when he returned dragging the garden hose behind him. He sprayed the truck down before going back over it with a soapy sponge from the bucket he had filled earlier. Finished with that he paused to strip his tee shirt off and toss it over the fence that separated the front yard from the backyard then reached for the hose again. The paper she was holding slipped several inches and she bit her bottom lip as she watched the muscles in his back, chest, and arms flex as he moved around the truck rinsing the soap off.

"Down, girl," Maria muttered under her breath, unable to hide her smile as she observed them from the living room window. She knew they both thought she was completely oblivious to their attraction to each other and she liked it that way. It was much more amusing when the players involved weren't aware that they were so obvious. Her gaze shot to her brother when the paper Isabel was holding snapped into place once more; he had moved, presumably to put the hose away. She considered warning the woman trying so hard to appear casual and uninterested about what was coming but decided against it.

A moment later a heavy stream of water shot past the window and doused Isabel, the newspaper, and everything else that was in the line of fire. As soon as the shock wore off the chase was on and Maria just shook her head and wandered into the kitchen to start lunch. _If they didn't resolve this on their own she was gonna have to step in,_ she mused.

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Isabel managed to get the upper hand after several minutes and limited use of her powers and she made sure Kyle got a thorough soaking. They wrestled for control of the hose and his right hand finally wrapped around the nozzle and he shifted their positions just enough to pin her to the side of the shed. He released the trigger to stop the flow of water and braced his other hand against the shed right beside her head.

"You cheated," he growled, leaning in closer.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as his gaze lowered to her mouth and she decided to up the stakes just a step. The tip of her tongue slipped out to wet her lips and she let one perfectly manicured fingernail trail down the center of his chest, unable to hold back a smile when she heard his breath hitch in his throat.

"I have to go," he said suddenly, making a big show of looking at his watch as he backed away from her. "I've gotta be at work in an hour."

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"What's going on?" Maria asked when Isabel joined her a while later. She had seen Kyle turn tail and run and the disappointed look on the other woman's face after his rather abrupt departure all from the vantage point of the window over the sink but she kept that to herself. Her brother had showered, grabbed his lunch, and left the house all with an uncustomary silence.

"Where does Kyle work on Saturdays?"

"Oh, it's not really work," Maria said with a smile. "He goes out to the Kensington ranch for a few hours every Saturday." She shrugged and motioned for Isabel to join her at the table. "He worked out there when we first moved here; it was his second job but now he just goes out there on Saturdays. He has a standing date every week but I can never keep track of their names."

_Well, it wasn't a complete lie,_ she thought with a mental smirk.

"I think I passed it when I came in a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, you can't miss it."

She knew exactly where Isabel was going when she made a weak excuse about checking out the city she was now living in.

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Isabel stayed in the shadows observing the activities in the training ring with interest. He had been out there for several hours instructing half a dozen teenagers of varying ages about the proper care of horses and correct riding posture. Most of the kids had parents sitting in the stands, watching the lessons and talking amongst themselves. After several of the teenagers left with their parents and only two girls were left in the ring with Kyle she moved closer to hear what was being said. He was sitting astride a large chestnut-colored horse, his right leg hooked over the saddle horn in front of him as he listened intently to what the girls were saying.

"Does this mean you're goin' to the dance tonight?" he asked, pretending not to notice the girls' blush.

"We're both going," the blond-haired girl named Sara said with a grin. "Jeffrey Allen asked her and she said yes."

Kyle looked at Mandy, the dark-haired girl on his right side and smiled reassuringly. "Well, good for you." He leaned closer to her when she mumbled something quietly and asked her to repeat herself.

"He has braces too."

"Ah, and you think that's why he asked you to go to the dance with him, right? Because no one else would've gone with him if he'd asked?" He leaned forward and reached out to gently brush the girl's cheek. "Honey, give him a chance to prove himself to you either way. I'll bet he asked you because you're a very pretty girl and he likes you; not because you both happen to wear braces."

"What if he did only ask me for that reason?"

"Then you tell me and I'll have a talk with him," he said with a charming grin. "But like I said, give him a chance. Now, you guys probably need to get home and start getting ready for tonight so why don't you get out of here." He dismounted and waited for them to do the same, taking the reins from them. "I'll take care of them for you just this once. Just keep those boys waiting for a good five minutes when they come to pick you up tonight; it's good for them. Oh, and Mandy?" He leaned down to whisper something to her when she moved closer to him, giggling at whatever he had said then rushing to join her friend.

"The change in her has been amazing."

Kyle turned to face the woman who had spoken and walked over to the fence that separated the arena from the seats. "She's done all the work, Mrs. Johnston."

"It's been so long since she's had anything resembling self confidence and you're the one responsible for that."

"And this is the part where he gets all cute and flustered."

Isabel turned her head when a woman joined her, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms over her chest. She wore her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail under a worn baseball cap, a white tank top and a pair of faded blue jeans.

"What?"

"Danielle Harris, but everybody calls me Dani," she introduced herself and stuck her hand out. "I'm the stable manager."

Isabel shook the offered hand and glanced back at the arena that was now empty.

"You must be Isabel." She smiled at the confused look on the tall blonde's face. "Maria called and told me to be on the lookout for you; she said you might have some questions about what Kyle does out here."

_Oh, Maria was so gonna pay for this,_ Isabel thought. She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to be manipulated into believing that he had been coming out here to meet another woman.

"When he first started working here he took care of the horses and did the occasional odd job – which is how he ended up doing this," Dani said, motioning towards the arena. "He filled in for one of our people one weekend about five months ago and he was an instant hit with the kids. When he reached a point where he no longer needed the second job I asked him if he'd consider staying on for the Saturday class and he agreed. I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't agreed," she admitted. "The program is fairly new and the kids involved with it are from single-parent homes. Most of them have been diagnosed with learning disabilities, they've been through the divorce process and custody battles, and some of them are recovering from abusive parents. They're all learning how to trust again and most of them have no self-confidence. When they made a connection with Kyle the boss told me to do whatever was necessary to keep him here. The parents involved with the program can't say enough good things about him and the kids can't get enough of him. They show up every weekend, ready to work and ready to learn and little by little they're coming out of their shells."

"How many kids does he work with?" Isabel asked.

"We have eight regulars who come out every week and there are four more who come out on alternating weekends." Dani paused and her eyes raked over the tall blonde. "You don't happen to ride, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"Would you be interested in learning?"

"Why?"

Dani hid a smile at the suspicious tone in the other woman's voice. "I used to work with Kyle and the kids but I didn't connect with them the way he does and Maria suggested that you might."

"Yes, well, she's just full of helpful suggestions today," Isabel muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable," she apologized. "Maria said that you enjoy working with kids and that the three of you go way back so I thought you might be interested."

"I might be interested but I have some things that I need to get settled first."

"Cool. Well, Maria and Kyle both have my number so if you decide you'd like to give it a shot let me know. You want me to show you where he's at before I get back to work?"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that."

Isabel walked along the breezeway, the heels of her shoes clicking against the concrete floor and echoing in the large barn. She could see Kyle coming out of a stall at the other end, sliding the door closed and reaching out to scratch the whiskered muzzle that appeared over the top of the gate. He lifted up the saddle hanging over a short beam that extended from the thick support post at the corner of the stall and carried it a short way down the corridor before turning into a room at the end.

He looked up from the saddle he was cleaning when she knocked on the doorframe, unable to hide his shock at seeing her there.

"Isabel, what're you doing here?"

"I want to know why you're avoiding me," she answered, getting directly to the point.

He lowered his gaze back to the saddle. "I'm not; I had to work."

"You've been avoiding me since I got here; every time I try to talk to you, you suddenly remember that you've gotta be somewhere or there's something that you've gotta go do."

"We got close back home, Isabel, and I thought maybe we were working toward something pretty special but you left – "

"I can explain that."

He smiled sadly. "I'm not just some dumb jock; I know why you left. But you left me a long time before you left Roswell. It hurt, okay? And I'm not sure I'm ready to open myself up like that again. I'm not sure I'll ever be ready." _Liar,_ his conscience shouted at him. It had been getting increasingly more and more difficult to keep his distance the more time he spent around her. "I know how much Alex meant to you, Isabel, and I had accepted the fact that you could never feel the same way about me but I let myself get more involved than I should have… my heart got involved and that's always a dangerous game."

"No, you're right; I don't feel the same way about you that I felt about Alex. I did love him, Kyle; I'll always love him but he's been gone for a long time and I've finally made peace with that. I don't know what the future held for us and because of Tess I'll never know."

"Look, this is all fascinating but it's not – "

"What I do know," she interrupted before he could finish, "is that I ran for several reasons and, yes, you do know most of them but I don't think you know the biggest one. I was having a problem dealing with the fact that the better I got to know you, the more time we spent together, the more I realized that I was falling in love with you."

Kyle raised his head slowly, meeting her gaze for the first time since she had arrived. He leaned back on the bench and gave her his full attention.

"It scared me, Kyle, for so many reasons. We couldn't protect Alex and I didn't know if I could deal with it if something happened to you. To be honest, I still don't know if I'd be able to deal with it. You know things about me that I had never shared with anyone but Alex and it felt good to have that connection with you, but then Maria got pregnant and everything came crashing down. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying it's her fault by any means. I pulled away from you because I felt so guilty… I felt like I was betraying Alex and I couldn't live with that. So I ran."

"But you came back. Why?"

"I finally came to terms with things and I know now that loving you doesn't betray what I had with Alex. I want to be with you, Kyle."

"I won't fight with a ghost, Isabel; it's not a fair fight and it's one I know I can't win."

"I'm not asking you to."

He sighed deeply. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to give me a chance… give us a chance to see where a relationship will take us."

He dropped his head back to rest against the wall. "You think you're ready for that? And don't say yes because you think it's what I want to hear. Do you honestly think you're ready for everything that a relationship entails? Because I'm not interested in starting something that's doomed right from the beginning, for your sake or mine."

"So you'd rather not – "

"You didn't answer my question."

"Yes, I'm ready."

He nodded and pushed himself to his feet, crossing the small room and crowding her where she stood in the doorway. "Be ready at seven thirty and dress casual." He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and hurried out of the room, leaving her standing there alone with a thoughtful expression on her face.

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Michael watched Kate as she moved around his worktable, studying the sculptures with a critical eye.

"Okay, is this some sort of joke?" Kate asked, lifting up one of the pieces and turning it slowly. "Because this is not up to your normal standard."

He shrugged.

"Are you trying to put me out of business? Because this would be an easy way to do it. You're losing your edge…" She motioned at the sculpted pieces littering the table. "Where is your mind?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I can't control my muse but it's become obvious to me that it's influenced by my mood." He shrugged and one of his fingers ghosted over the finished piece closest to him. "My work up until now has been dark and edgy – "

"Yes, but the public has eaten it up. What you're doing now… I don't know how – if – this will even sell."

"Of course it'll sell." He smiled. "As you've told me often enough, you could sell a plain old brick… it's all about presentation."

"Well, you didn't have to find a way for me to go out and prove that." She sighed deeply and placed the statue back on the table. "This means introducing your work to a whole new audience. Why must you make my life so blasted difficult?"

He shrugged, chewing on his bottom lip as he waited for her to deliver her verdict.

"They're good," she admitted finally. "I think I know someone who can put us in the right market for this… softer side you've decided to display." She made a motion towards the table. "Get them crated and I'll make some calls."

"All of the pieces go through Charlie's shop exclusively, Kate; I don't want someone else handling them."

"Has she seen any of these?" She nodded when he shook his head. "Her customers expect a certain type of – "

"They go through her or they don't go at all; you know that's not up for negotiation."

"Then I'd suggest you get her out here to take a look before you crate them." She nodded at the lone unfinished piece sitting behind him. Her eyebrows shot up when he shifted to block her view of the piece. She couldn't see what it was because it was covered with a white sheet but it was larger than anything else he had done.

"Not that one," he said quietly.

"Why won't you at least let me look at it? As big as that piece has to be it would sell for quite a bit more than these smaller ones. We're talking about a lot of money, Michael."

"No."

"All right," she said finally, conceding defeat, "have Charlotte take a look at them and then have her call me."

Michael nodded and followed her out of the garage and to her car. He stood on the porch until her car had disappeared from sight then sat on the steps and waited. Charlotte had called him that morning and told him she would be there around six o'clock. He leaned back on his elbows and closed his eyes as he thought over the past couple of months.

After the night he had gone to Charlotte and asked for her help she had pushed him into learning everything he could about kids. She had made it her personal goal to get him ready so he could go back and face his past. Of course her idea and his had differed in several key areas and he had found himself on the receiving end of lessons on manners, self-grooming (apparently five o'clock shadow looked better than it felt), and fashion. He had made enough progress with the neighbors' kid that he was comfortable around her whether Charlotte was there or not.

He sat up again when he heard gravel crunching under tires, standing up and walking down the drive when Charlotte pulled up.

"What in the world did you do to Katie?" she was asking as she stepped out of her car. "She called me an hour ago squawking about something you've done." She crossed her arms over her chest and started tapping her right foot. "Well? What'd you do?"

Michael just motioned for her to follow him and led the way around to the garage. He opened the door and let her enter ahead of him. "That's what she's having a fit over," he said, pointing at his worktable and the finished sculptures sitting on it.

Charlotte walked over to the table and picked up the closest one, running her fingers over the surface of the polished marble. "Michael, it's exquisite."

"Kate thinks they're too soft," he said quietly.

"Are you kidding me? These are gonna be harder to keep on the shelves than the other ones. I've got plenty of customers who have just been waiting to see this side of your art." She shook her head as she turned to look at him. "They're good," she said, her voice resolute.

He nodded. "You'll be able to sell them?"

"Without a doubt. Matter of fact I'd be willing to bet they'll be gone before we get back from New Mexico."

"So, we're good to go this weekend?"

"Yeah, Stacy's gonna run the store while we're gone and she has my cell number if she has any problems."

"But you're comfortable with her runnin' things, right?"

"She's ready for it; she's been ready for a while I just haven't been able to let go of the reins." She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I have control issues, so sue me."

"Yet you manage to hide it so well," he muttered dryly. "So, are we goin' to dinner or what? I'm getting hungry here."

"I seriously doubt you're gonna waste away any time soon." She patted his stomach as she walked past him on her way out of the garage.

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Isabel and Kyle walked along the path that wound through the park, their joined hands swinging between them. They stopped occasionally to feed the ducks and laugh at the antics of the squirrels as they chased each other around the trunks of the large trees that populated the park.

They had spent the earlier part of the morning lounging around the house and working together to make breakfast before going out to the Kensington ranch for their regular Saturday afternoon with the kids. They had stopped at the park on their way home, intent on spending the rest of the day together without any interruptions.

Isabel rolled her eyes when his cell phone rang.

Kyle's expression was apologetic as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open to reveal the caller's name. "I've gotta take this."

Isabel nodded and was turning to give him some privacy when he suddenly tensed and stood up, motioning for her to follow him as he hurried out of the park.

"No, just evacuate the entire facility, do a head count, and make sure everyone's accounted for." He unlocked his truck and held the door open for Isabel as he listened intently to the person on the other end. "Has the fire spread to section seven?" He shut the door and hurried around to the other side, unlocking his door and sliding behind the wheel. "Okay, get the blueprints out of my office and have them waiting for me when I get there. Now, put me on hold and have Teresa patch me through to the fire chief."

"What's going on?" Isabel asked as he started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

"There's a fire in one of the labs and it's spreading fast." He paused and held his hand up when a burst of static came through his phone followed by the chief's gravelly voice. "Chief, this is Kyle Valenti; I'm the head of security at Atchison Research…" He paused when the other man interrupted him, leaning forward to glance up at the sky over the area where the facility was housed. Heavy black smoke was visible and he sped up just as the chief fell silent. "You have to concentrate on lab sixteen! That fire has to be contained before it spreads to - " He slammed his fist on the steering wheel in frustration at the man's negative response. "Idiot!" he growled, throwing the phone on the seat between them when the call was disconnected from the other end.

"What's the matter?"

"If the fire spreads through lab sixteen there's a very good chance it'll breach section seven and if that happens…" He shook his head. "The materials in that section are highly explosive and if it goes up they're gonna have a hell of a time putting that fire out."

They could easily see the flames leaping from the building when they pulled up to the first security checkpoint and Kyle flashed his badge at the man at the gate. Leaving his truck at the guard shack, he told her to wait for him and jumped out, ignoring her when she called his name.

Isabel watched him as he ran across the parking lot, losing sight of him several times as he weaved through the crowd, shouting orders at his people and grabbing the blueprints from the man who had called him. He shouldered his way past busy firefighters as he made his way to the chief, grabbing the man's arm and dragging him over to a car where he unrolled the blueprints and pointed out what he had been trying to get across on the phone. He turned and motioned to the building, his hands gesturing furiously in an attempt to get the man to understand.

Relief washed over his features when the man finally nodded and reached for his radio, redirecting the efforts of the firemen under his command. Kyle looked up when one of his employees saw him and hurried up to talk to him; the woman she recognized as one of the night watch officers was speaking rapidly. Panic flooded Isabel's system when he turned to stare at the burning building for several long seconds before glancing down at the list she had thrust into his hands.

"You're sure he's still inside?" Kyle asked, scanning the employee list Teresa had given him just moments earlier.

"He clocked in this morning and he's the only one I can't account for. We've done a head count twice to be sure, boss; Dr. Lawson is still inside."

"Which lab was he working in today?"

"Seventeen."

"Okay," he muttered, nodding, "the fire hasn't made it that far yet; do we have any idea how far it's spread into lab sixteen?"

"It's close to breaching the wall into seventeen. That's where all the explosive materials are housed, boss; he won't stand a chance if it gets in there."

"I know. Do me a favor, Teresa."

"Anything."

He motioned to his truck and the woman standing on the running board so she could see what was going on. "Keep her over there; she's gonna try to go after me but don't let her."

"What're you – "

"Keep her out here, Teresa," he shouted as he rushed into the building, crashing through the outer door with his shoulder.

Teresa hurried to intercept the tall blonde when she ran across the parking lot, her intent clear. She had met Isabel several weeks earlier at a company barbeque and she had known immediately that the woman was responsible for Kyle's persistent good mood.

"What did you tell him?" she screamed, looking at the woman who had grabbed her arm and was preventing her from going after Kyle. "How could you just let him go in there?"

Kyle stayed low to the ground as he made his way through the building, hurrying along the winding corridors as fast as possible. The overhead sprinklers had been activated, resulting in nothing more than a thorough soaking for him and floors that were slippery, preventing his booted feet from maintaining a solid grip on the tile. As he came closer to reaching his destination the heat became more intense and the smoke got thicker and harder to maneuver through. At the end of the corridor he crouched down, holding his shirt over his nose and mouth in an attempt to reduce the amount of smoke he was inhaling. His eyes were burning and his lungs felt like they were going to burst if he didn't get out of the inferno soon.

He had to keep pushing all thoughts of Isabel out of his head because he knew if he allowed himself to think about her it was entirely possible that his entire world would come crashing down around him. There was a very good chance that by rushing into the building and putting himself in danger he had brought their relationship to a screaming halt. He knew she was afraid of losing him; she hadn't even attempted to hide that fear from him and he had looked directly into her eyes right before he had made a break for the building.

The sound of breaking glass drew his attention and he crawled around the corner, looking to see if he could locate the source. He threw himself down flat against the floor when the window above him shattered from the intensity of the heat, wincing when shards of glass cut into his back and arms. Forcing himself up onto all fours he scrambled along the corridor, reaching out to test each door he passed for heat. He glanced up, relieved when he saw the signs for lab seventeen come into view. He risked a glance through the window, hoping to see some sign of the scientist. The older man was nowhere to be seen but he could easily see the flames crawling along the wall and moving across the lab towards the vault where the flammable materials were kept.

Hurrying to the door he reached for his security card and prayed that it would work. The red light on the panel switched to green and he heard the locking mechanism release. He pulled the door open and reached blindly for something to keep the door from closing just in case his luck didn't hold out and he found himself locked inside. He wasted no time in his search for the scientist and found him almost immediately, his heavyset body lying unconscious behind his workstation.

Isabel stared at the burning building, too shocked to even move when the first explosion sounded and the blast tore through the backside of the facility. She watched helplessly as the firefighters were called away from their stations due to the multiple explosions that followed quickly on the heels of the first one. The fire chief had refused to send his men into the building after Kyle, insisting that it was too dangerous and the risk too great. She had argued with him and he had quickly called for a nearby police officer to remove her from the immediate vicinity. She had been escorted back to the truck and told to wait there, informed that she would be arrested if she didn't.

Another explosion rocked the building and glass and mortar shot out from the side. She had asked Teresa where lab seventeen was located and the fact that she hadn't been able to look her in the eye or answer her had confirmed what she had already known. He had gone in with the intention of going straight back to the part of the facility that was even now being blown to bits.

The sound of shattering glass drew her attention to the front of the building and seconds later an office chair was thrown out of one of the second floor windows. Her eyes widened when she saw Kyle waving at the firefighters below and shouting into his phone. Her heart was lodged in her throat as she watched them scurry around, raising one of the ladders and sending two firefighters up to retrieve him. She was certain she stopped breathing when he backed away from the window, reappearing a moment later to pass an older man through to them first. He waited until they had gotten the man safely down before climbing through the window and beginning his own descent.

Halfway down the ladder he paused and his body swayed to the right side, coming dangerously close to losing his grip on the frame. One of the firemen reached him within a few seconds, catching him when he pitched forward and carrying him the rest of the way down where he was handed over to the waiting paramedics.

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Maria hurried through the automatic doors and made her way over to the admitting nurse. As soon as she had the necessary information she took the elevator up to the second floor, walking down the hall until she reached the room her brother was in. She stepped inside and crossed the room to lean over the bed so she could study his pale features, frowning at the sound of his raspy breathing. She raised her head when the doctor entered the room and stood across from her on the opposite side of the bed.

"You're Mr. Valenti's sister?"

"Yes."

"I'm Dr. Jamison; I'll be handling your brother's care while he's here."

"His breathing sounds… bad."

"He's been intubated to keep his airway open," he said, explaining the reason for the intimidating machinery he was hooked up to. "He was having trouble breathing due to the amount of damage he suffered due to smoke inhalation. The damage wasn't severe and I'm confidant he'll be ready for release within the next couple of days. He suffered minor lacerations to his back and arms from exploding glass but they'll heal with little to no scarring. All in all I'd have to say that your brother is one lucky man."

"You're certain he's gonna be all right?"

"He'll be fine. I'm sorry that we couldn't let his girlfriend stay but hospital policy doesn't allow us to let anyone but family in to see the patient without express permission from the patient or the patient's family."

Maria nodded as she reached down to wrap her fingers around her brother's hand. "I'll get in contact with her. How long will he have this thing shoved down his throat?"

"Overnight. We'll remove it in the morning and see how well he's breathing on his own; if he's within an acceptable range we'll leave it out."

"I'd like to stay with him."

"Of course." The doctor moved to the door and turned to glance back at her. "If you need anything just let one of the nurses know and they'll take care of it."

Left alone with her brother Maria sat down in the single available chair to watch over him. Teresa had called to let her know what had happened and she had quickly made arrangements to drop Alex off with a friend so she could get to the hospital. Turning to the side she picked up the phone and dialed Isabel's cell number but didn't receive an answer so she called the house; after leaving a message on both phones she hung up and shifted her attention back to Kyle. She watched him and eventually fell asleep herself, wondering what affect the evening's events would have on his relationship with Isabel.

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"You've gotta find her, Maria," Kyle rasped the next afternoon. The doctor had removed the tube a few hours earlier and his throat was sore and it hurt to talk but he had to make sure he got his point across.

"I've been trying to reach her all day, Kyle; she's not answering her cell and she's not at home." She shifted Alex to her left arm and sat on the edge of the bed. "I went by the house after I picked Alex up and it didn't even look like she had been home."

"She told me a while back she didn't know if she could deal with it if something happened to me." His right hand clenched in the blanket. "I gave her every reason to change her mind about us last night. And when they wouldn't let her in to see me…" He reached up to cover his mouth when another coughing fit started. "Maria, you've gotta find her and make sure she's all right; the doctor said he wouldn't release me until he gets the results of my blood tests back and I can't wait until then to know whether or not she's okay."

"Any idea where she might've gone?"

"Someplace quiet where she can decide if staying with me is worth the risk. We've been together for a couple of months and things have been good but she's still testing the waters." He paused to take a drink of water from the cup on the table beside the bed. "I probably blew it last night but I couldn't just leave him in the building; he wouldn't have survived if he had been there when the lab went up."

"I'll see what I can do." She reached out to pat his leg. "I'm sure once she's had time to think about it – "

"I appreciate your optimism but you didn't see the look on her face when I went into that building." He slid down in the bed, wincing when it pulled at the open wounds on his back. "Just find her and make sure she's okay. If the doc decides to let me outta here today I'll find a ride home."

Maria left the hospital with no idea where to go first. She drove around for hours looking everywhere she could think of. She was on the verge of going home and checking on Kyle since he had called to let know he had been sent home when her cell phone rang. After a short conversation she turned around and headed in the opposite direction, arriving at her destination nearly twenty minutes later.

"Hi, Dani," she greeted as she stepped out of her car.

"Caught the news this morning; how's Kyle?"

"He's gonna be fine. They released him a little while ago so he's at home now." She glanced around the green pastures that were spread out as far as the eye could see. "How long has she been here?"

"She showed up several hours ago and asked if she could take one of the horses out and I told her to go ahead but one of the guys radioed in a while ago and said she seemed pretty upset. They're out moving the cattle from the north pasture and he spotted her down by the river. I can take you down there if you'd like."

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Kyle shifted onto his side, cursing when he couldn't find a comfortable position on the couch. It didn't matter how he stretched out, his body hurt and the painkillers didn't seem to be helping at all. He wasn't sure if taking a shower as soon as he had walked in the door had been a good idea or not, but it had sure seemed like one at the time. He glanced at the television and snatched up the remote that was lying on the cushion beside him, scanning through every channel before settling on a western.

He stared at the screen without seeing anything that was going on as his mind played the events from the night before over and over. He couldn't get past the thought that Isabel wasn't coming back, that he had pushed her too far with his actions.

"You've gotta have more faith in her than this, Kyle."

His eyes flew open and he shot up to a sitting position, dropping the remote in his haste to be upright. He blinked at the apparition lounging carelessly against the doorframe and shook his head in disbelief. "It's gotta be a side effect of the drugs," he muttered to himself as he leaned forward to pick up the bottle of prescription pills to scan the label.

"I'm not a hallucination."

Kyle snorted and shook his head. "What the hell." He dropped the bottle and watched it roll across the coffee table, stopping just short of the edge. "Okay, what are you then? Because you can't really be here and I don't believe in ghosts…" He rubbed his eyes and glanced across the room again just to verify that the apparition was still there. "It doesn't matter," he said decisively. "You're just a side-effect that they forgot to mention… a figment of my imagination or something."

"Fine," Alex said, his tone agreeable, "if it'll make you listen to me I'll be whatever you need me to be." He waited a moment to see if the other man had anything to say before continuing. "You knew the moment you decided to go into that building that she was gonna have a hard time dealing with your choice. You can only imagine the agonizing fear she experienced while she was waiting for you to come back out and then when you did finally make it out you tried to do a swan dive off of the ladder. Do you think it was easy for her to get to the hospital after seeing that only to be told that she couldn't see you? Do you know what it did to her knowing that you were hurt… knowing that she could heal you and spare you the pain… and not being able to do a damn thing about it? You _know_ Isabel; you have to know how difficult that would be for her."

"She could've waited until Maria got there," he mumbled, unaware that the hurt he felt over her absence showed through in his words.

Amusement was audible in Alex's voice. "She went a little bit crazy when they wouldn't let her in to see you or even tell her if you were okay. She was escorted out of the hospital by security and she ended up driving around the city most of the night. Maria's with her right now."

"Is she all right?"

"She will be. Let her come to you and take it slow when she gets here. You said yourself that she's still testing the waters, right? She needs to know that you're okay… that after running into a building that was a ticking time bomb you made it out in one piece and you're still alive."

"She could've come back to the hospital today."

"Kyle, you were the only one who was able to reach her after my death so you know how much baggage she's carrying around with her. You could've just as easily not made it out of that building last night and she knows it. She didn't run far and she will be back." He shook his head and shifted slightly. "How you handle things when she comes back will dictate whether or not she stays. Don't give up on her now."

Kyle raised his head, intending to speak but found himself staring at an empty doorway. He looked around the room, searching for a sign that the apparition that looked like Alex was still around. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and leaned forward to pick the remote up off of the floor. He switched the television off and decided that he wasn't taking anymore of the painkillers since one of the side effects was obviously hallucinations. He carefully made his way upstairs and pulled his tee shirt off, throwing it on the chair in the corner before collapsing on his bed and closing his eyes.

Isabel entered the darkened house, locking the door and listening for any sounds that would indicate that anyone was up and about. She and Maria had talked for several hours down by the river and she had stayed for a while longer after the other woman had left, her mind turning over the events of the past twenty-four hours.

She stopped by the nursery to check on Alex before going to her own room. After a shower she dressed in a pair of silk pajamas and curled up on her bed, wondering what Kyle was going to say when she approached him the next morning. She tossed and turned for more than an hour before giving up on sleep as a lost cause and got out of bed to wander around the house.

She finally ended up standing at the bottom of the staircase that led to the second floor, contemplating her options. She took the first few steps hesitantly, her confidence building with each step. Reaching the second floor she made her way down the hall to the second room on the right. She opened the door and crept across the floor until she was standing over Kyle's bed looking down at him.

He slept on his stomach, leaving the wounds on his bare back exposed. His right arm was stretched out and hanging over the side of the bed and his head was turned so that he was facing away from her. She held her hand above his back, close enough that she could feel the warmth from his skin. A muted green glow surrounded her hand as the power began to build and one by one the wounds were sealed until they had disappeared completely.

The connection that had opened up while she healed him allowed her to feel the emotions and sense his thoughts as he had made the decision to put his life in danger to save the scientist trapped inside the burning building. The uncertainty of their future and their relationship combined with his hurt feelings because she hadn't been at the hospital when he had regained consciousness had left his emotions in upheaval.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there," she whispered, her voice thick with tears.

Kyle kept his eyes closed and forced his breathing to stay level so she wouldn't know he was awake yet. He felt the mattress dip as she sat down beside him and when her hand settled on his back he couldn't stop his muscles from twitching in reaction.

"You're awake," she whispered softly in accusation.

"Sorry," he apologized hoarsely as he rolled over onto his back to look up at her. "I can pretend to go back to sleep if it'll help."

She chuckled and placed her hand over his throat, healing the damage there before sliding her hand down to his chest.

He raised his right hand to cup her cheek, his eyes scanning over her exhausted features in the moonlight. "How're you doin'?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you how you're doing?"

"I asked first." His hand slid down her neck, over her shoulder, and along her arm until he reached her hand. He linked their fingers and brought their joined hands up to rest against his chest. "I didn't mean to scare you last night, Isabel, but I couldn't leave him in there and you know that. I wouldn't be the man you fell in love with if I had just left him to die."

"I know and you're right…"

His startled gaze flew to hers and he waited expectantly for her next words.

"You looked at me last night and in that split-second I knew what you were getting ready to do and it terrified me; I felt like I couldn't breathe. When the explosions started and you hadn't made it back out…" She took a shuddering breath. "And then you did get out and you almost fell off the ladder because you lost consciousness."

"I'm sorry they wouldn't let you in to see me at the hospital."

"You didn't have any control over that and they threw me out anyway because I made a huge scene when they wouldn't tell me anything. You were hurt and I didn't know how badly; I just knew that I couldn't be with you and make it go away. And I just drove around for hours after that, thinking about whether or not I could do this after seeing how willing you were to throw yourself into a dangerous situation."

Kyle's mind replayed those last few minutes in the living room when he had been certain he was experiencing a hallucination because of the painkillers. _I hope he's not planning to_ _make that a regular thing,_ he thought. The last thing he needed was to be visited by a ghost who felt the need to hand out free advice.

"So, what decision did you come to?"

She used her free hand to nudge his knee and he shifted over, giving her room to pull her legs up on the bed. "Well, I gave it a lot of thought and I considered a lot of different options but I finally decided that it all comes down to trust. Do I trust you to do everything in your power to come back to me regardless of the situation? I couldn't ask you to never do something like that again; it wouldn't be right. Doing that would be asking you to change who you are and I can't do that… I won't because it wouldn't be fair to you." She lowered her gaze to his thumb where it was stroking over her knuckles as he listened to her. "I'm not willing to let you go because of something that may or may not happen in the future. So, I guess where we go from here is up to you."

He tugged on her hand to get her attention. "Where do you see us going from here?" he asked when she raised her head to meet his questioning gaze. "This isn't about what I want; we've already established that you're – "

"I want to stay with you… tonight and every night after this."

"Are you sure? Because once we take that step there won't be any going back. I know we've gotten hot and heavy – " He stopped at her disapproving glare. "Okay, let me rephrase that – we've spent plenty of time making out but we both agreed that it wouldn't go any farther until you were one hundred percent positive that this is what you want and you're ready to move forward."

"What was your point?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"I just wanna make sure this is what you want."

_God, men could be so dense at times,_ she thought with a mental roll of her eyes. She tugged on his hand, pulling him up and leaning forward to kiss him, leaving no doubt in his mind as to what she was telling him.

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Maria slouched down in the deck chair and propped her feet up on the railing, watching the sunset and enjoying the evening breeze. Isabel and Kyle were out for the evening and Alex was down for the night.

"Hey, you awake?"

She turned her head to the side and smiled when she saw Max standing just inside the back gate. "C'mon up here and talk to me, girlfriend."

Max released his hold on the gate and let it swing shut before joining her, dropping down in the chair beside her. "Looks like you got the best seat in the house," he said, nodding at the sun dipping low behind the Rockies.

"Um-hmm. What're you doing out and about?"

"Liz had to work a double so I thought I'd come over here and pester you for a while."

"So your being here on the night Kyle is planning to propose to your sister is entirely coincidental then?"

Max feigned a surprised look. "Was that tonight?" He sobered and turned to the side, pulling his left leg up and resting his foot on the seat. "Okay, I admit I'm interested in what her answer will be but Liz told me that Amy and Jim are coming in this weekend and I wanted to make sure you're okay with that."

Maria mimicked his pose and rested her chin on her knee. "It's a little nerve-wracking," she admitted. "I haven't really talked to her in almost eighteen months, y'know? I've stayed in contact with Jim and I know he's kept her in the loop but I'm just…"

"You're scared," he guessed. "It's only natural to be scared, Maria; after everything that happened you'd be crazy if you weren't. Have you talked to her at all?"

"No, I've let Kyle handle everything. God, I don't even know what I'm gonna say to her, Max."

"You'll figure it out," he said with a reassuring smile. "Not knowing what to say has never been one of your weak points. When the moment gets here, you'll know what to say." He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Hey, it'll be okay."

"I hope you're right." She gave him a watery smile. "Have I told you how glad I am that you and Liz are here?"

"We should've been here a lot sooner." He shrugged. "Things might've been different if we had stayed. Or if we had given you the support you needed."

"We can't live our lives based on what-if's, Max. We had no way of knowing what would happen to me or Alex during the pregnancy, we didn't know if he could even survive here, and we didn't know if he would inherit his father's powers. There were a lot of variables and I know you guys had to be terrified of what could happen but giving him up, or worse, getting rid of him, was never an option for me."

"I know, and just for the record you made the right decision; he's a great kid, Maria. You've done an awesome job raising him."

"What?" she asked when he fell silent.

"I'm sorry we weren't able to find Michael."

She reached out to lift his chin so she could look into his eyes. "Max, I told you before you and Liz left Roswell that you weren't gonna find him. The only one responsible for his absence is him; it's not your fault that he ran."

"The same way it's not my fault that Isabel ran? I didn't force either of them to leave – you're right about that – but I am indirectly responsible for both of them running."

"How do you figure that?"

"I was seriously starting to lose it after we lost Alex and the whole fiasco with Tess just set it off. I was threatening my own sister, I was ordering both of them around like they didn't have minds of their own…" He shook his head, his dark eyes full of regret. "I had already lost Liz and I was losing them too and I didn't know how else to keep them there."

"You're past that now, Max. I've talked to Liz about it…" She shook her head. "Don't give me that look; you know we talk about everything. And I've watched the way you've dealt with Isabel since you got here. I expected you to go all control freak on her when you found out she was dating Kyle but you actually surprised me by accepting it with very few questions."

"He makes her happy, y'know? I haven't seen her this happy in so long, Maria, and she deserves that. I knew they had gotten close back home but I never expected to get here and find out they were dating."

"She didn't wanna tell you over the phone."

"Well, I'm not sure finding out the way I found out was any better," he grumbled with a grimace. "I think I would've preferred to hear it over the phone as opposed to walking up to your front door and finding them making out on the porch swing."

Maria had to laugh at that particular memory. Max had been less than pleased to find his sister and Kyle in a rather intense lip lock but after he'd had time to calm down and listen to them he had accepted their relationship.

"C'mon, let's go inside and have a cup of coffee while we wait for them to get here."


	3. Chapter 3

"You didn't check to make sure she would be here?" Charlotte asked in disbelief.

Michael glanced at her as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of their rental car. "Do you mind? I'm trying to think."

She snorted. "Don't hurt yourself."

Ignoring her, he glanced at the house once more before reaching for the keys still dangling from the ignition. "The house isn't empty so maybe they're just not home."

"Or they could be out of town on vacation." She turned to look at him. "How do you know they even live here?"

"Because this is her house and Valenti's name is on the mailbox."

"And this means what to me?"

"Maria's mom and Kyle's dad had a thing the whole time we were in high school. They obviously decided to make things permanent."

"Uh-huh. Where are we going now?"

"The Crashdown; Liz's parents own it and Maria worked for them so they might know where she's at."

But if Jeff Parker knew where Maria was or when she'd be back he wasn't planning to share that information. He had taken one look at the young man and promptly thrown him out of the diner.

"I can't believe you even have the gall to come back here!" he shouted, blocking the door with his body.

"Mr. Parker, if you'd just – "

"Do you have any idea how many lives you ruined? They're all gone, Michael. Max took off after graduation and took Liz with him. We hear from her every three or four months if we're lucky and we haven't seen her since they left. She should be in college studying for a career but she's not. We don't even know where she is! And we won't even get into what you put Maria and her mother through." He paused and took a deep breath. "Don't come back here, Michael."

Diane Evans watched him slump against the car, his elbows pressed against the top and his forehead resting on his clenched fists. She couldn't hear what the woman with him was saying but it was obvious that he was struggling under the weight of Jeff's words.

She had watched him grow up, often wondering at the closeness between her children and Michael. He had never attempted to fit in anywhere; if anything he had gone out of his way to ensure that he wouldn't fit in. She hadn't understood him until her husband had helped him win his case for emancipation after his foster father had abandoned him one night. After hearing about the abuse he had suffered at the man's hands she had understood a little of her children's protectiveness towards him.

"Michael?"

He lifted his head to look at the woman who had called his name. "Mrs. Evans," he said, his tone cautious.

He didn't make any other movement but she could read the look in his eyes; he was mentally preparing for another attack.

"You're looking for Maria?"

He nodded.

"Follow me back to the house." She touched his arm gently. "There won't be anyone else there; Phillip's out of town on business."

"Okay."

"Would you rather go alone?" Charlotte asked after they had gotten back into the car and were following Mrs. Evans back to her house.

He grunted what she had to assume was a negative response since he didn't follow it up with anything else. She knew he was hurting and possibly putting himself in a position to be hurt even worse.

"So, she's Max and Isabel's mother?"

"What?" Startled out of his thoughts, he blinked and glanced at her. "Yeah." He turned down a familiar tree-lined street. "Isabel had a really tough time not telling her everything. She wanted her mom to know the truth and I think Max wanted the same thing because he hesitated before telling her that she could never tell her." He pulled into the driveway behind Mrs. Evans.

"Do you think she could've handled the truth?"

"At the time I didn't think so but… I don't know. I do believe she loves them unconditionally; maybe that would've been enough."

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Diane Evans ushered them inside and after getting drinks from the kitchen she settled in the living room with the two of them. "How have you been doing, Michael?"

"Good," he answered before remembering his manners and introducing the woman sitting on the couch with him. "Is Isabel gone too?"

"She left a couple of months after Max did."

"I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say to her; he had never expected that his leaving would have had the effect that it had.

"I don't blame you for the choices they made. I don't understand why they made the choice to leave or why they've stayed away but if it's helped them find any kind of peace then I wouldn't ask them to change their minds." She watched his fingers as they tapped restlessly against the can he held. "What about you?"

"Me?"

"You seem different… not so… on guard maybe?"

"I think I've found some of that peace you were talking about." He lifted his right hand to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb. "I came back to see Maria, maybe mend some fences but she wasn't there."

"You haven't had any contact with any of them?"

"No, none."

"She left after Isabel did, Michael."

"Left? No," he denied, "she would have stayed with her mom – "

"Amy kicked her out when she refused to agree to either terminating the pregnancy or giving the baby up after it was born."

Charlotte reached for the can before he could drop it, setting it on the coffee table and laying her hand on his shoulder. "Michael, breathe," she snapped, feeling the rigidity in his body.

He buried his face in his hands and tried to remember how to breathe, terrified that the simple task would rip away every defense he had. _She wouldn't have kicked her out… she couldn't have…where would she have gone? _

Diane hurried to cross the room and knelt down in front of him, reaching out to wrap one hand around the wrist closest to her. She could feel the tremors running through his frame, concerned by their intensity. He made a sound that she couldn't interpret so she looked to Charlotte, hoping she knew him well enough to know what he needed.

"Do you know if she's okay?"

"As far as I know she's fine. She lived with Kyle and they moved out of state when he got a job with a… I think it was some sort of security job. I'm pretty sure they're in Colorado Springs."

His hands moved to link around the back of his neck but he kept his head lowered and his breathing was harsh. "This is my fault," he muttered finally.

"How could it be your fault? She didn't find out she was pregnant until after you had left and she had no way to track you down."

"That's what she told everyone?" he whispered, shattered that she had been protecting him even after what he had done to her. "She… it's not true… I knew… She told me the night I left…"

"Michael, she obviously didn't want people dragging your name through the mud; that was her decision." She smiled reassuringly. "You came back for her; maybe she made the right one."

He lifted his head to meet Diane's eyes. "Max left because of me," he admitted hoarsely. "He's been looking for me this whole time."

"Do you have any idea how important you are to Max and Isabel?"

"I never really gave you a chance, did I? They always thought you and their dad were perfect and you loved them just as much as if you had given birth to them; I was so jealous of them when we were growing up." He rubbed a hand over his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you had any contact with them?"

"Very little. Phillip doesn't understand how they could put off their education to just travel around the country so he and Max don't talk much. There's a lot of tension there and they're both stubborn. Isabel's only called twice since she left but she won't tell me where she is or why she left. I think it was just too hard for her to be here after everyone else was gone. She's been so fragile since losing Alex; I thought she and Kyle might have gotten together but she just pulled away from everyone right before graduation." She sighed. "I was more surprised when she didn't go with Max; they've always been so close."

"There were so many things she wanted to tell you, Mrs. Evans. You remember the fire in the kitchen? All the questions the sheriff was asking, the evidence that Max couldn't have put that fire out the way he said he did… you remember that?"

"Of course. I think that's the closest I've ever come to losing my son. I had to stop asking him about it because it was pushing him away."

"You had to accept his word that whatever 'it' was, it wasn't bad."

Diane nodded wordlessly. "I always knew they were different but I never knew why; I just knew that I couldn't call attention to it." She studied him intently for several long minutes. "It's not just them, is it? You're like them too."

"Yeah. She wanted to tell you when all that happened. It hurt her so badly not being able to share that part of herself with you. You know how she is; beautiful, perfect, refuses to break for anyone… but so fragile inside. I watched a piece of her soul shatter that day and I think there's only one way to put it back together. We're not like other people"

"Can you tell me how?"

"Isabel always insisted that we could trust you with the truth… can we?"

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"Are you sure that was wise?" Charlotte asked, watching him as he flopped down on one of the two beds in the hotel room. After nearly six hours of talking to Diane Evans they had taken their leave and driven straight through to Colorado Springs at Michael's insistence. He had spent most of that time staring out through the windshield, his mood pensive.

"She didn't freak out," Michael said, not bothering to pretend that he didn't know what she was talking about. "She loves them too much to do anything that would hurt them." He pushed himself to his feet and reached for his bag. "You mind if I grab a shower first?"

"No, go ahead."

"Did you bring your laptop in?"

"Yeah, I'll get it ready for you." She set the laptop up on the table in the corner and powered it up before grabbing her own bag and digging around for a pair of sweats to wear after her shower.

His friends' mother had taken the news very well and she thought that must be due in part to her belief that her children were 'different'. She had listened to them talk, surprised by the honesty that had poured out of him as he had explained the difference between them and the rest of the population.

She had promised to keep their secret and he had promised to do everything he could to find Max and Isabel. She was concerned that he was taking too much on, especially on top of the guilt that was eating away at him more tonight than it had the entire time she had known him. She knew learning that Maria's mother had kicked her out while she was pregnant had hit him hard; it was obviously the one scenario he had never considered when he had thought about what she had done after he had left her to deal with it alone.

She was certain that the knowledge that Maria hadn't made it known that he had been aware of her pregnancy before leaving was also adding to the mountain of guilt he was carrying around. She looked up when he came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of blue plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a white tank top, rubbing his hair roughly with a towel.

"Shower's all yours," he mumbled as he draped the towel around his neck and walked past her to drop down in the chair facing the computer.

Charlotte gathered her things, pausing to watch him. He propped his right elbow on the table beside the computer and rubbed his hand over his face tiredly. He stared at the screen for several long minutes before he sighed heavily and started his search.

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Michael slouched down in the driver's seat surreptitiously watching the comings and goings in the quiet neighborhood. He had spent hours the night before searching for an address for either Maria or Kyle but of course it couldn't be that simple. There had been a dozen Deluca's and even more Valenti's listed; he had been able to eliminate the most obvious ones and that had narrowed his search down considerably but that had still left seven possibilities. He was sitting across the street from possibility number five, his restless fingers drumming on the steering wheel. The sun was high in the sky, letting him know that it was probably getting close to two or three in the afternoon.

He knew Charlotte was going to give him an earful for sneaking out while she was asleep but he was only planning to locate the right house. He had every intention of going back for her before actually confronting his past right up until the moment that Kyle stepped out onto the front porch and turned to lock the door behind him.

He almost felt like he wasn't in control of his body as he climbed out of the car and crossed the street, following Kyle around the house into the backyard. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings; the house was old but well cared for and the scent of freshly mown grass indicated that the lawn had been cut recently. He stopped when Kyle suddenly froze for a split second before whirling around to face him. The shocked expression quickly gave way to anger and he remained rooted to the spot when the shorter man stalked towards him, his fists clenched in a threatening manner.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded angrily.

"I came to see Maria," Michael answered, refusing to be intimidated by the other man. "I'm not interested in getting into – "

"I asked you what you're doing here."

"And I've already answered that question." He ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair and looked at the other man. "Where's she at?"

"She's not interested in seeing you."

"Really? And you know this how?"

"You've been gone for more than a year; I think I might have a better idea than you do about whether she wants to see you or not. Do you honestly think you can just come in here after this long and expect her to welcome you back with open arms?" He shook his head in amazement. "You didn't bother to even make an attempt to stay in contact with any of us to make sure she was all right."

"That's not true," Michael protested. "I've been sending letters – "

"Sell it to someone else, Guerin; I'm not buyin'. You're trespassing so I'd suggest you get off of my property before I throw you off."

"What time will she be home?"

"It doesn't matter because you won't be here when she gets home. Is it necessary for you to come here and upset her? Why don't you just go back to wherever you've been hiding and leave her alone."

He knew Kyle was going to hit him and he didn't so much as flinch when the other man's fist connected with his jaw. He moved his jaw to make sure nothing was broken and waited for the next blow. He didn't have to wait long; the next one landed hard against his cheekbone and he shifted his stance to keep his balance. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper in check and control the urge to strike back at the same time.

He allowed Kyle several more free shots before he had no choice but to defend himself.

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"Oh, my God, what happened to you?" Maria demanded as soon as she saw her brother's battered face.

"Are you all right?" Isabel asked softly as she reached out to place a gentle hand under his chin to tip his head back.

Kyle dropped the hand holding the ice pack against his eye down to his lap and shrugged one shoulder. "Kinda got in a fight."

Isabel studied the cuts, bruises, and abrasions carefully. His left eye was swollen shut, his bottom lip was split open, and… she tilted her head to the side to get a better look at his nose. She was pretty sure it hadn't been crooked that morning. "How many people have seen you like this?"

"Just me and the other guy."

"I hope you kicked his ass," Maria said, watching as Isabel healed the damaged tissue.

"No, you don't," Kyle muttered cryptically. He felt Isabel stiffen beside him and he knew the connection she had to make when healing had revealed his opponent's identity.

"How can you say that?"

Isabel watched him as he struggled to get the words out, knowing it would be difficult for him to tell her whom he had fought with.

"Good grief, Kyle, if someone's gonna come here to our house and start a fight – "

"He didn't actually start the fight," he admitted. He kept his eyes focused on his fiancé's hand where it was wrapped around his. "I threw the first punch; he had every right to retaliate and to be honest I got several good shots in before he made a move."

"I don't understand."

Kyle took a deep breath. "It was Michael."

Maria was thankful there was a chair beside her because her legs turned to jelly at her brother's quiet admission. A dozen questions ran through her mind at a frightening speed and she shook her head, denying his words.

"He's looking for you. I told him I'd have him arrested if he showed up here again."

"How could you hit him?" Maria asked, worried at the thought of Michael being hurt and alone.

"How could he walk out when you told him you were carrying his child? It was ridiculously easy to hit him. No," he snapped when she started to speak. "Don't even try to deny it. You've been pretending that he didn't know and we've all played along but I'm done with it. He knew and he took off; he left you alone knowing you would protect him."

"Believe what you want, Kyle, but you're wrong. Fine, yes, he knew I was pregnant but he wouldn't have assumed that I would protect him. For him to make that assumption he'd have to believe that he was worth protecting and he never believed that. You gave him the only thing he's ever believed he deserves so I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Have you heard from him once since he's been gone?"

She frowned. "No."

"Then where are the letters that he claims he wrote?"

"Why would he lie about that?" Isabel asked. "He would know you could check that easily enough."

"Where's the box my mom left here?"

"You said you didn't wanna go through it so I stuck it in the hall closet."

"She kept apologizing when she gave it to me…"

"I'll go get it."

"Maria, are you okay?" Isabel asked, crossing the room to sit across from her. She reached out to rest a hand on Maria's arm, startling her.

"What? No, yes, I'm fine. I just can't believe that he was here." She glanced up when Kyle returned with the box and set in on the table in front of her. Lifting the lid off she dropped it on the table and stared inside for a moment. She was about to reach in when she changed her mind and hit Kyle with the back of her hand. "How could you hit him?"

"Could you just focus?" he grumbled, rubbing his arm.

Taking a calming breath she reached into the box again, pushing an odd assortment of things she had nearly forgotten about out of the way as she searched for the letters. She found them near the bottom, bundled together with a rubber band. Pulling the rubber band off she dropped it back in the box, barely noticing when her brother moved the box out of the way. She spread the envelopes out on the table, putting them in order by the dates on the postmarks and covered her mouth with her right hand. There were thirteen in all with the most recent one being postmarked less than a month ago.

Her hand was trembling as she reached for the oldest one, sliding one finger under the flap to open it. She pulled the single sheet out and unfolded it, unaware of the rectangular piece of paper that floated down to rest on the surface of the table. Her eyes watered as she read the simple words that Michael had written, smiling at the effort he had taken to make his handwriting legible.

Maria,

I don't know how to start this. I don't even know what to say. I guess

there's a chance you might just throw this away without ever reading it

but I hope you don't. I started to send this to Isabel so she could give it

to you but ya know, it's the strangest thing – your address is the only one

I know. If your mom didn't hate me before I'm sure she does now so I

hope this doesn't cause any more problems for you. I hope you and the kid

are okay. You can write back if you want and send it to the address on

the envelope. That's not where I'm at but it'll get to me.

Michael

P.S. I'm sorry.

Maria read the letter several times before carefully folding it and sliding it back into the envelope. She was stretching to place it back in its place when Kyle slid something in front of her.

"It fell out when you pulled the letter out."

"It's a check," she said, staring at the amount in disbelief. Her gaze slid down to the signature, recognizing Michael's familiar scrawl with no problem. She placed the check on top of the first envelope and reached for the next one, unaware of the couple leaving the room so she could go through them in private.

By the time she was finished the sun was hanging low over the mountains and her emotions were in turmoil. None of the letters had been longer than half a page but she knew him well enough to read between the lines. She knew they had been written at least a month apart by the postmarks and each letter had been one more tentative step as he tested the waters. She could tell which letters had been written at low points just by their tone and she wondered what had compelled him to seek her out even after never receiving any type of confirmation that she had read the letters.

Her eyes scanned over the envelopes and the individual checks that rested on top of each one. She hadn't allowed herself to believe that she would ever see or hear from him again simply because she knew she wouldn't be able to deal with the disappointment if he never came back.

"He was here and you let him leave?"

She could hear the disbelief in Max's voice and she briefly wondered when he had gotten there.

"_Let_ him leave? I _made_ him leave."

Their voices got louder as they got closer and she blinked when the overhead light was switched on. Before the spots dancing in front of her eyes had completely dissipated she was wrapped in a familiar embrace that she returned.

"Are you okay?" Liz whispered, knowing her friend would be running an emotional gauntlet after finding out that Michael had been to her house.

Maria nodded against the brunette's shoulder and called her attention to the letters. "He tried to keep in contact, Liz… look."

Liz stared at the letters spread out across the table and her eyes widened in shock as she mentally calculated the amount of money he had sent to her over the past year. "Where do you think he got this kind of money?" she asked. "The smallest check here is for two thousand dollars."

"He said in one of his letters that he had found something that he's good at but he didn't say what it is." Her fingers traced the edges of the closest envelope. "He asked several different times why I wasn't cashing the checks…" She sighed raggedly. "God, I can't believe my mother kept these from me; he must've felt like I was rejecting every attempt he made to establish contact with me."

"Maria – "

"No, Kyle, you didn't read the letters; you don't understand! He's been waiting for me to write him back and tell him it was okay to come back."

Kyle had to accept the fact that his sister wasn't interested in hearing anything derogatory about her son's father so he did the only thing he could do. "I'll find him and bring him back here." He glanced at the others standing around the table. "I'll go alone; if he sees any of you chances are good that he'll take off."

Maria turned to grab his hand before he could leave. "Don't hit him again."

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Michael opened the door and squinted against the bright hall lights, frowning when he saw the man standing on the other side.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He shrugged his shoulders, making it clear that he could care less whether he stayed or not. He leaned one shoulder against the doorframe, bracing his hand against the opposite side and waited.

Kyle knew if he didn't convince Michael to come back with him he was going to have two very hostile women on his hands. "Look, about this afternoon – "

"You made your point clear, Valenti," Michael interrupted, "so if there's nothing else you can go."

"No, there is something else," Kyle said, putting his hand out to prevent the door from closing in his face. "I'd prefer to not end up sleeping on the couch tonight so I'd appreciate it if you'd listen to me."

The comment made him see red and before he knew what he was doing his right hand curled into a fist and shot out, connecting solidly with Kyle's nose. He watched as the shorter man stumbled back a couple of steps before coming to rest against the wall, his hands automatically coming up in an attempt to stop the flow of blood. He had to remind himself to stay calm and not react to the physical attack. Since chances were good that he wasn't going to be invited inside the room he slid down the wall and looked up at the other man.

"Who would've ever known that you and I would love the same woman, Guerin?" Kyle muttered as he pressed his fingers against his nose in an attempt to decipher whether it was broken or not.

Michael was sure he could feel his heart being shredded into pieces at the words spoken by the other man. He had waited too long and she had moved on. "You love her?"

"Yes I do; she's very important to me."

Michael nodded and slid down to sit on the floor across from him. "And the kid? Is… Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Boy, and his name's Michael Alexander Guerin." He rested his left arm on his raised knee, flexing his fingers and calling the other man's attention to the gold band on his third finger.

"So, you're raising the kid as your own?" Michael asked, unable to draw his gaze away from the evidence that he had blown any chance of getting Maria back. He couldn't believe that after the way he had left her she had still named the boy after him.

"What? No, Maria has always referred to me as Uncle Kyle; why would you think that he was being raised under the pretense that I was…" His eyes widened as his gaze moved from the other man to his own hand. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no," he denied quickly. "You've got the wrong idea, man."

"You love her, you're wearing a wedding ring, and you live in the same house; how am I getting the wrong idea, Valenti?"

"I love Maria but I'm not in love with her – "

"Then why'd you marry her?"

Kyle had to force himself to keep a straight face. "We're not married."

Michael made a short, choppy motion towards the ring on Kyle's finger. "Then why're you wearing a wedding ring?"

"Because I am engaged and my fiancé wants everyone to know that I'm off the market."

"Are you telling me you're wearing an engagement ring?" He couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up in his throat at the image that came to mind. "You are so whipped."

"Have you ever tried to say no to Isabel?"

Michael's head shot up so quickly that Kyle hoped he wouldn't end up with a neck injury. "Did you say Isabel? Isabel Evans? You're engaged to Isabel Evans?"

"That's what I said."

"Isabel's here too?"

"They're all here, Michael."

"They can't be here," he said. "I'd be able to sense them if they were close."

"You've been blocking them for so long it's not surprising that you're not sensing them."

"Max and Liz are here too?"

"Yeah, they showed up a few months ago and Isabel showed up on our doorstep a couple months before they got here."

"They married yet?"

"Yeah."

"And you're engaged to Isabel?"

Kyle didn't take offense at the incredulous tone in Michael's voice; he just held his left hand up again. "I don't know why she felt the need to stake her claim," he said, his eyes glued to the ring he wore. "It's not like women are chasing after me."

Michael snorted. "You weren't exactly a wallflower in high school, Valenti and if there's a way to stop the competition – whether it's real or imagined – Isabel will find it." He cocked his head to the side. "Is she happy?"

"For the most part, yeah. There are a few things that still have to be dealt with. Her parents are probably the biggest issue; she hasn't been in contact with them very much since she left Roswell."

"She still feels guilty for lying to them."

"Yeah. You know how close she was to her parents so it's hard for her to keep the charade going."

"It'll work itself out."

Kyle didn't question the cryptic statement, choosing instead to change the subject back to his reason for being there. "You need to come back to the house with me."

"No."

"Michael, I can deal with Max and Liz not being happy that I ran you off this afternoon because I don't live with them and they'll eventually go home. But Isabel and Maria _are_ home and if I go back there without you they're gonna make my life miserable."

_Well, I can certainly understand that,_ Michael thought and barely controlled the urge to laugh out loud at the other man's plight. _Having one of them pissed at you was bad enough…but both of them at one time? No. Hell, no. _

"Not tonight, Valenti." He held his hand up and shook his head. "It's late and there's no reason to do this tonight. Go home, tell them I'll be there tomorrow at noon, and good luck with keeping all of your limbs attached." He stood up and brushed his jeans off. "Don't tell them where to find me; just tell Maria I'll come to her."

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"And you agreed to that?" Maria asked, annoyed that he had returned alone.

"He didn't give me a lot of choice in the matter, Maria," Kyle mumbled, wincing when his fiancé pressed her fingers against the bridge of his nose a little harder than he felt was absolutely necessary. He was sure she was taking a perverse pleasure in drawing out the healing process because he had come home empty-handed and she wasn't pleased. She was standing between his legs as she assessed the damage that had been inflicted on a part of his body that she had already healed once that day. "Ow! Damn it, Isabel, are you trying to break it?"

Her dark eyes flashed angrily as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet his directly. "What did you say?" Her voice was carefully neutral and her hands curled around the edge of the counter he was sitting on as she waited for his answer.

Kyle swallowed hard. The threat may have gone unspoken but he heard it loud and clear. "Okay, that's not exactly what I meant to say," he said as he tried to backpedal and not sound completely whipped at the same time. The threat was real but with the right words and a sincere tone he wouldn't find himself confined to the living room couch for the night.

Maria choked back a laugh at his stuttered explanation and knew from past experience that Isabel would make him sweat for several minutes before letting him off the hook. She had watched Kyle sweet-talk his way back into her good graces on more than one occasion and she only knew of one time that actual groveling had been involved. But, if she remembered correctly he had deserved all three of the nights he had spent camping out in the living room.

She glanced at the other couple in the room and wondered what they were talking about; Max was shaking his head and Liz was trying to get him to listen to whatever she was saying.

"Let's call it a night," she said, bringing everyone's attention to her. "Michael said he'd be here at noon so let's give him the opportunity to come here on his own. Forcing him to come back tonight won't achieve anything; he took the first step by coming here without coercion so I think we should just leave him alone and let him move at a speed that he's comfortable with." She glanced down at the table and the letters still spread out on its surface. "I'm going to bed." She left the room without a backward glance and walked down the hall to the nursery where Alex was peacefully sleeping. Leaning over the crib she reached down to touch him, her hand rising and falling with each gentle breath he took.

_He looked even more like his father when he was asleep,_ she thought. The only time she had ever seen Michael look peaceful was when he had been sleeping; awake he was on edge, his suspicious nature etching lines of worry into his face but when he slept those lines melted away, temporarily revealing his real age. She didn't have any idea how he would react to Alex but if his letters were to be believed he wanted to try and form a relationship with him.

She wondered where he had been and what he had been doing. And if she were completely honest with herself, she wanted to know if he had moved on, if he had found someone else to love; someone who could love him the way he deserved to be loved. The way she had loved him… the way she still loved him. She had tried to deny if for months after he had left but she had been forced to admit that her feelings for him were still alive the first time she had held her son in her arms. She didn't know if there was even the slightest chance that they could work things out between them but she was willing to give him the opportunity to convince her that it was possible. _Of course, that_ _didn't mean she wasn't going to give him hell first._ She smirked at that thought as she leaned down to smooth her son's hair and kiss his forehead.

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"Michael, stop pacing," Charlotte grumbled as she sat up and stared at him in the near-darkness of the hotel room. His aura was a dark shade of green, a sure sign that he was under a lot of mental stress. Not that she needed to see his aura to know he was stressed out; that had been blatantly obvious since he had come back from his encounter with Maria's brother earlier that afternoon.

"I should've just left well enough alone; they don't want me here."

"Kyle came here because – "

"You don't understand, Charlie," he interrupted. "Yeah, Maria had a fit because he hit me and he promised her he'd bring me back but she's gonna be pissed. I knew I'd have to face her and I knew Kyle would be with her but I wasn't expecting the rest of them. I don't wanna be trying to explain my actions to her with an audience."

"You already know how to keep the rest of them busy."

"As much as you know I love you, they're not gonna be interested in your presence. I screwed up and they're gonna let me know it."

"I didn't mean me. There's a very simple way to keep them all busy while you're talking to Maria; all it would take would be one phone call."

Michael paused in his pacing to stare at her thoughtfully. "Mrs. Evans." He crossed the room to grab his cell phone off of the bedside table and dropped down onto his own bed to make the call. "You're a genius, Charlie. Her son is married and her daughter's engaged and she doesn't know about either of them."

"You're not gonna tell her that, are you?"

"Of course not. I think it'd only be fair if they had to tell her themselves." He dug around in his wallet for the phone number and glanced at the clock on the table before dialing it. It was late but he was sure it wasn't too late to make this particular call. He smiled to himself when she answered.

"Hey, Mrs. Evans, this is Michael. I was wondering if you're up to a little trip to Colorado Springs?" He bit back a smile. "Think you could be here by noon tomorrow?"

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Michael shifted from one foot to the other; uncomfortably aware of the intense scrutiny

he was under. He felt like he had literally been backed into a corner and there wasn't a friendly face in the bunch. Kyle was the only one who had bothered to speak to him but he hadn't said another word since leading him into the living room where the firing squad was waiting. He could feel their accusing eyes burning into him even though he had chosen to stare at the carpet at his feet. He had made eye contact with them when he had first entered the room but Isabel, Max, and Liz had worn expressions with varying degrees of open hostility and he had been forced to look away. Maria had yet to show but he hadn't been able to get up the nerve to ask where she was.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered finally, pulling his cell phone out and punching in Charlotte's number as he walked out of the room.

"Where's he going?" Max asked, not directing the question to anyone in particular. He moved to the window to watch the other man as he paced back and forth in front of the house.

"What?" Isabel frowned when her brother straightened and leaned closer to the window, squinting at whatever he was looking at.

"You didn't say anything about him being here with another woman, Kyle."

"I don't know anything about another woman." Kyle shook his head. "He never said anything about anyone else being here with him."

"What's going on?"

Silence fell over the room as Maria spoke but before she could ask again she heard Michael speak and a moment later a woman's voice responded. With a look of distinct displeasure she shifted Alex to her left arm and moved to the front door. Without waiting for an invitation the rest of them hurried to follow her.

"Would you just come on?" Michael asked impatiently.

"If you're so sure you want to leave then go wait in the car."

He stood on the steps refusing to follow her onto the porch, glaring at her when she paused in front of the door and turned to look at him. "You've got the keys."

Charlotte had to grit her teeth and take a deep breath to keep from yelling at him. "Then stick your finger in the ignition."

He shrugged insolently knowing it would aggravate her. "Fine."

"On second thought, forget I ever said that. The last time you tried that you fried my engine and I doubt the rental agency will be as forgiving as I was."

He snorted and some of the tension melted away just as she had known it would.

"Forgiving? First, I did not fry your engine; I just shorted out the electrical system and if memory serves I replaced every single bit of it while you hung over my shoulder bitching about it. And second, you were not forgiving."

"Oh my God."

Charlotte whirled around and came face to face with people she had only ever heard about. Michael's descriptions had been accurate but none more so than his description of the green-eyed blonde standing on the other side of the screen door. The woman's eyes darkened and she could easily read the hurt there – hurt created by the belief that he had moved on.

"Well, this is awkward," Charlotte said with a smile.

"She knows," Isabel hissed, unable to hide the fear that those very words induced.

"I do know but I'm not a threat to you."

Kyle reached past his sister to push the door open and wave them inside. "Why don't we continue this conversation inside," he suggested. He ushered everyone back into the living room, keeping both Isabel and Maria close to him.

Michael was unaware of the conversation going on around him, his gaze focused on the woman who still haunted his dreams night after night. She wasn't looking at him, her green eyes staring sightlessly at the wall behind his left shoulder. He lowered his gaze to the little boy sitting quietly in her lap, surprised at the similarities he could see.

"Can I hold him?"

All conversation ceased at his request and he felt his heart twist painfully in his chest when Maria handed the baby to her brother but still didn't acknowledge his presence. He wondered how he was supposed to talk to her when she wouldn't even look at him.

"Don't take it personally if he pitches a fit," Kyle said as he transferred Alex into his father's arms for the first time. "He doesn't like being held by people he doesn't know."

Michael stared at his son, amazed by the intense stare that he was receiving in return. Alex was regarding him with interest as he leaned back in the arms that held him and reached out to touch the man's face. The connection formed without effort or intention and he was flooded with feelings, sensations, and emotions that were unexpected.

Maria raised her head to look at her son and his father and tears sprung to her eyes when she saw the infatuated expression on Michael's face. He reached up to take hold of the small hand resting against his cheek, swiping his thumb under his eye to brush away the lone tear that threatened to roll down his face. Alex stared at the silver rings on Michael's right hand, fascinated by the play of sunlight on them. The fingers of his free hand tugged on one of the rings and he grunted in frustration when he couldn't grasp it.

A knock on the door pulled Kyle's attention from them and he moved to answer it. His eyebrows rose in shock when he recognized the couple standing on his front porch but he hurried to unlock the screen door and push it open to let them in. "Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Evans… what're you guys doing here?"

"You can relax, Kyle," Phillip said, smiling at the younger man's obvious discomfort. "We're here to see our children."

"Right… um, can you wait right here for just a minute?" He hurried back into the living room and went straight to Michael. "How did you know where to find us?" he demanded.

"Back up, Valenti," Michael said, his tone warning.

"Did you call them and tell them where to find us? Because you had no right to – "

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Kyle, what's going on?" Isabel asked, worried by his aggressive behavior.

"Maybe we can answer that."

Her gaze shot to the doorway when a familiar voice spoke up and she moved to Kyle's side despite the overwhelming desire to run to her parents and embrace them. Her hand automatically sought his out, sliding her fingers through his and feeling her heartbeat calm when his fingers tightened around hers.

Liz could feel the tension that pulled Max's body taut when his gaze shot up and settled on his parents. She knew he had almost given up on ever getting his relationship with them back to where it had been before their senior year of school. Every time they talked they ended up in an argument and he had grown tired of the endless fighting.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?" Diane asked, doing everything she could to remain rooted to the spot when she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around her children and never let them go.

"Max?"

He turned his head to look at Liz when she placed her hand alongside his jaw to get his attention. "I don't know… I can't keep fighting with them, Liz."

Diane stared at the ring on Liz's hand for several moments before looking down to see the matching ring on her son's hand. Her husband's voice broke her concentration and she looked up to see how Max would respond.

"We're not here to fight, son," Phillip said, his deep voice sincere. "We'd just like the opportunity to set things right. Give us a chance."

Max glanced at his sister, easily reading the emotions that crossed her face. "I guess we can go to our place. Isabel?"

She glanced at her fiancé and he nodded. "Okay."

Kyle looked at Michael once more. "If this goes badly you and me are gonna go several rounds and you won't walk away so easily next time." His arm snaked around his fiancé's waist and he looked at her, searching her face for any signs of distress. "You're sure you wanna do this?"

She nodded, but uncertainty made the motion jerky.

"It's gonna be okay; they took the first step so they're obviously willing to listen." He raised their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of hers. "It's gonna be okay," he repeated solemnly.

"Okay."

Phillip frowned when he saw the ring on his only daughter's left hand and he wondered how much they had missed in the past year. He followed his wife's lead, trusting her to know how to handle the situation.

Liz reached over to touch Maria's arm. "Are you gonna be all right if we leave?"

"I'll be fine," she assured her best friend. Her eyes were focused on the woman talking to Michael, unable to control the jealousy surging through her veins. _What was her name_ _again? Oh, right, Charlotte._ _Could she be anymore obvious if she tried?_ She knew the thoughts were catty but she didn't care. The woman knew him, knew his secrets, and she was comfortable enough with him to get in his space and touch him. _She obviously needed a lesson in keeping her paws off of men who were already taken. _

She looked up when Kyle crouched down in front of her, his concerned gaze searching her face. "If you decide you can't do this all you have to do is call and I'll be here in less than ten minutes."

"I know," she said, smiling. "Now go; she needs you."

He followed the direction of her gaze and nodded. Isabel was standing near the doorway, her normally calm demeanor having been disrupted and leaving her nervous and fidgety. He knew she was already rattled by Michael's presence in their home and to suddenly

find herself face to face with her parents on top of that had to be upsetting.

"I'm gonna take off," Charlotte said, smiling at the confused look on Michael's face. "You've managed to clear the place of extra bodies and you don't need me here while you talk to her. Besides," she continued, lowering her voice, "as much as I enjoy causing a stir wherever I go, I don't like being seen as competition and if she stares at me any harder I'm gonna end up with holes burned into my back permanently." She smiled when she saw the shock in his eyes. "Trust me on this, Michael; the woman still has feelings for you." She stared at the baby in his arms for several long minutes. "He looks a lot like you; poor guy definitely got your hair." She cleared her throat and nodded at the door. "I'm gone; call me if you need a ride back to the hotel."

Michael suddenly found himself alone with Maria and his son and he didn't have a clue what to say or do. He glanced down when Alex shifted in his arms, laying his head on his father's broad shoulder. Michael's gaze slid to the small hand wrapped around his forefinger, smiling when he realized that his son was refusing to relinquish his hold on the shiny object he was so fascinated with.

"You connected with him, didn't you?" Maria asked, feeling tears threaten again at the obvious bond that was already forming between father and son.

"Yeah, but it wasn't images so much as feelings and I didn't push the connection," he hurried to assure her.

"No, I know that. It's just that it's never happened before – not even with Isabel or Max. He hasn't shown any signs of inheriting your powers…"

"I don't think he has them, Maria; I think the connection has more to do with the fact that I'm half alien and I'm his father." He shook his head. "Max, Isabel, and I can sense each other because of our abilities but I haven't picked up on anything from him. If he had any of those abilities I'd be able to sense them." The hand gripping his finger relaxed as sleep completely claimed Alex. "Is he walkin' yet?"

"No, but he's been trying."

"He's a good lookin' kid, Maria," he said, his tone hushed. He traced his son's features with the tips of his fingers. "He's got your nose."

Maria finally allowed her gaze to sweep over his tall frame, taking in the subtle changes that a year and a half had made. She wondered if he had gotten taller even as she was admiring his broad shoulders and muscular arms. He still wore the same type of clothes and his hair looked like it might be a little shorter and it was still spiked and messy, but it was his face that showed the most change. The perpetual frown he had always worn was still there but it wasn't tinged with anger like it had been before and there was a calm in him that had never been there.

She lowered her eyes to his hands and felt a shiver race down her spine as she remembered all the things those big hands were capable of. He could be so unbelievably gentle but he could also be the coldest, most unfeeling bastard on the face of the earth. She knew it was a defense mechanism but that hadn't made it hurt any less when he had turned that side of his personality loose on her. Her gaze lingered on the tiny scars that marred the flesh of his hands and she wondered how he had gotten them.

"I'm sorry."

Maria lifted her head to look at him when he spoke quietly.

"I never once thought that your mom would kick you out. I just assumed you'd still be living with her in Roswell."

"That'll teach you to assume." She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Where'd your girlfriend go?"

His gaze shot up and connected with hers for the first time. "I don't have a girlfriend," he denied.

"No? Because she certainly seemed comfortable putting her hands on you and you weren't exactly objecting to her being in your space. Not to mention the little fact that she obviously knows that you're not exactly from around here…" She paused. "And just for the record, once Max and Isabel have recovered from the shocks they've received today they're not gonna be happy with you for revealing that bit of information to a complete stranger."

"Charlie is completely trustworthy; she won't tell anyone. I wouldn't have told her if I thought she'd make it public knowledge." He shrugged one shoulder. "You know me better than that."

"Do I?" she asked, refusing to look away. "I used to think I knew you but now I'm not sure I ever really did."

_Okay, that hurt,_ he thought. "No one knows me better than you did." He swallowed hard. "I can't imagine ever letting anyone else get that close. Charlie's my best friend and she knows I'm half alien but that's all there is between us." He exhaled loudly. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this."

"You'll keep talking if you know what's good for you."

Michael shifted and glanced around before moving to a chair in the corner, sitting down and trying to get comfortable under her unwavering stare.

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"How long have you been married?"

Max looked at his parents when his mother spoke, breaking the silence that had been hanging over the apartment since they had arrived. He was almost scared to answer, certain that it would only cause yet another argument he wasn't prepared to have. He hadn't imagined that he would ever be facing them in his own home and he didn't know what to say to them.

"Almost nine months."

He turned when Liz answered and a small smile momentarily softened his anxious features as their eyes met.

"We got married in South Dakota," she continued when he resumed pacing. He hadn't really wanted to bring his parents back to their apartment, worried that old arguments would crop up and they would spend the entire visit fighting. She had been there for every conversation between Max and his parents over the past year and the disagreements he had with his father had only escalated as time had passed. He hadn't spoken much with his mother, usually ending the conversations without resolving anything before he had the chance to speak with her. She couldn't fault him for not mending bridges with his parents when she hadn't been able to do the same with her own parents.

Isabel only half-listened to Liz and her mother as she watched her brother pace around the room, his eyes darting back and forth between their parents and his wife. She could tell that he was allowing himself to get all worked up over their sudden presence. She knew he had only invited them back to his place for her sake because he knew how much she wanted to re-establish her relationship with them. She leaned in closer to Kyle, enjoying the weight of his arm around her shoulders as she reached up to link her fingers with his.

The motion drew Diane's attention and she stared at the ring sparkling on Isabel's hand where it was joined with Kyle's.

"How'd you know we were here?" Max asked before she had a chance to comment on her daughter's engagement ring.

"Michael called last night."

"Why would he call you? He had no right to call you."

"Why didn't you just tell us why you left after graduation?" Phillip asked. "Why let us think you were – "

"Because there are things you don't know about me… things that you're better off not knowing. It's safer that way."

"More secrets?"

Max froze where he was standing to stare at his mother. "What?"

"Why won't you just tell us what you're hiding?"

"It's not just Max," Isabel said quietly.

"Isabel, stay out of it."

His authoritative tone pushed all of her buttons and she was on her feet and in his face in a matter of seconds. "This doesn't just involve you, Max." Her voice shook with fury and her eyes burned with anger when his controlling nature surfaced once again.

Liz could see that Max was reaching the end of his rope and a meltdown was inevitable unless something diffused the tension.

"What do you think would happen if you told us your secret?" Diane watched the silent war being waged between her children. "Do you think knowing how you're different will change the way we feel about you? Either of you?"

_They knew._

Liz and Kyle exchanged a shocked look.

"You can't know how you would feel," Max denied without looking away from his sister. "Why can't you just accept that there are things I can't tell you?"

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to accept that your children can't trust you with something so important to them? How hard it is to understand that there are some things that you can't protect them from? Things that you might be able to help them with if they would only trust you?"

"It's never been a matter of trust, Mom," Max said quietly. "Keeping you uninvolved is the only way we can protect you from – "

"Max, you can lie to yourself all you want to," Phillip interrupted his son, "but it all comes down to trust. We're your parents and it's our job to protect you… even if that means protecting you from yourself. Maybe if you had talked to us we could have protected you when the FBI was looking for you, maybe if we had known what really happened to Alex we could have helped you deal with it a little better, and maybe you wouldn't have felt the need to keep so much distance between us this past year."

Isabel swallowed hard and stared at her brother, unable to make herself look at her parents for fear of what she would see on their faces. She could read the terror in his eyes and knew the same expression was reflected in her own eyes.

"How do you know?" Kyle asked, speaking for the first time.

"Michael came to Roswell looking for Maria and we happened to run into each other. We had a very long talk," Diane answered, glancing at him. "We talked for hours and the things he said explained a lot; he was able to answer a lot of questions that your dad and I have had for so long." She paused, waiting to see if they would look at her and feeling disappointment well up inside when they continued to avoid her and her husband.

"You won't tell anyone – " Liz started to say but was silenced by their immediate response. "It's just that it's a big secret and their lives depend on it staying a secret; the lives of everyone who knows would be in danger if it ever got out."

Kyle leaned forward to take Isabel's hand, tugging his shell-shocked fiancé back over to the couch and urging her to sit down beside him again. "You all right?" he asked as he placed his right hand alongside her jaw, nudging her just enough to bring her gaze level with his.

"They know," she whispered, her expressive eyes swimming in tears.

"And they're still here," he said just as quietly. "They haven't run screaming into the night because the aliens have landed."

She gave him a watery smile and shoved him with her shoulder. "You're not as funny as you think you are, Valenti."

He gave her a gentle shove with his own shoulder and grinned. "You've always wanted them to know and now they do, so what're you gonna do about it?"

"He had no right."

Liz had been watching her husband closely, uncertain of what his response would be to the knowledge that his parents knew what he had kept hidden from them his entire life. She frowned at his muttered words and she knew from the wild look in his eyes that he was getting ready to take off. She motioned for his parents to stay where they were when he suddenly bolted from the room and seconds later the front door slammed shut. Picking up her cell phone she dialed Maria's number and waited for an answer.

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Maria was waiting on the front porch when Max got there and the tear tracks drying on her face made him temporarily forget why he was there.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned when he saw the state she was in.

"He's not here, Max." She turned to go inside and he followed her, closing the door behind them. "He's already gone."

"What?"

"Apparently he wasn't able to explain why… he took off a while ago and before you ask, no, I don't know where he's staying. But I'm sure he's run right back to _her_ and they're probably already on their way back to wherever the hell he's been for the past year and a half."

Max put his arms around her when he could see that tears were threatening to spill over at any moment. He felt her arms go around him, holding on to him as her tears soaked his shirt and her body shook with the force of her emotions. He rocked her gently, rubbing her back and murmuring nonsensical words in an effort to calm her down.

When she felt like she was back in control of herself she backed out of his embrace and ran her hand over the wet spot on his right shoulder. "Sorry for being such a basket case." She sniffled and swiped at her eyes. "I didn't even get a chance to ask what you're doing here; Liz didn't really say when she called."

"I figured she would've called you."

"She just said you were on your way over to see Michael and if things got out of hand to call her back."

"C'mere." He raised his hands to her face, erasing all traces of her crying jag. "He told my parents, Maria."

"Told them what?"

"He _told_ them."

"He…" Her eyes widened when she realized what he was saying. "Why would he do that? It doesn't make any sense… of course he did tell that _woman_ he's with. How's Isabel handling it?"

"A lot better than I am," he admitted quietly. "She always wanted to tell them though; she always believed that they could deal with it, that they loved us enough to see past the fact that we're not completely human."

"Your mom and dad didn't look like they were freaking out when they were here earlier."

"I should probably go back and talk to them, huh?"

"Probably." She smirked. "You should probably apologize to your wife for running out the way you did too."

Max winced. "Was she pissed when she called?"

"She was more concerned about whether or not you were all right, but once she knows for sure that you're okay she's gonna let you know what she thinks about your little disappearing act."

"Guess I should've thought it through a little better before I took off." He grinned sheepishly. "I'd better get back home. You gonna be okay by yourself?"

"I'll be fine."

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Charlotte closed and locked the door behind her when she entered the darkened hotel room, reaching for the light switch as she shrugged out of her jacket. She frowned when she noticed the balcony doors were standing open, the curtains swaying lazily with the light evening breeze. She edged along the wall, feeling ridiculous when she realized that if someone was in the room she had already given herself away by turning the lights on. Reaching the balcony doors she peered around the side and rolled her eyes when she saw the man sitting on the floor, his back braced against the wall and his legs stretched out in front of him.

She straightened up and stepped outside, her gaze automatically drawn to the city lights below. "I didn't think you'd be back so early," she commented without looking at him.

"Yeah, well, apparently I'm just as inept at talking about my feelings today as I was before I left."

Her left eyebrow quirked up when her mind registered that his words were slightly slurred and she turned to lean against the railing. "Tell me you at least told her you still love her," she pleaded.

"You know what I told her? I'll tell you what I told her; I told her nothing. Couldn't get a damn thing to come out of my mouth. I froze and she got pissed because she thought I was avoiding her questions."

"So you left."

"I'm only gonna hurt her by bein' here and that's the last thing I wanna do." He reached for the glass beside his right leg and drained it in one shot. "She deserves better than that; she should be with a guy who doesn't have all the issues I've got."

"She also deserves to be the one to make that decision. You should go back and talk to her," she decided, taking his right hand in hers and tugging on it. "C'mon, get up."

"No."

Charlotte dropped his hand and stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest. "No?" she repeated, reaching for the cell phone clipped to her waistband.

"What're you doin'?"

"If you won't go talk to her then I'll just have to get her to come to you."

Michael listened to her as she called information and waited for the operator to assist her with finding Maria's phone number. When she thanked the person on the other end for their help he hauled himself to his feet and made a clumsy grab for the phone, missing it when she stepped out of his reach. She closed the phone and stared at him as she waited for him to tell her what she wanted to hear.

"Don't call her; I'll go back over there tomorrow."

"Oh, no, buddy, you're going back over there tonight." She grabbed his arm and walked him into the room, grabbing the keys before guiding him out into the corridor and straight to the elevator.

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Maria glanced at the clock on the wall when the doorbell rang, noting the late hour before going to answer the door. Surprise was evident in her features when she saw Michael on the other side, his weight partially supported by his… friend.

"Charlie made me come back."

She hurried to unlock the screen door when she heard the slurred words, frowning at his uncoordinated movements as he stumbled inside with the other woman's help.

"How much has he had to drink?" she asked, pressing one hand against his chest to keep him upright when his companion leaned him against the wall and stepped away from him. "He's not supposed to drink; alcohol hits their systems a lot harder and a whole lot quicker than it does ours."

"I know how quickly it hits his system but I don't know how much he's had to drink; I don't know how long he'd been back at the hotel before I got there." Charlotte paused, forcing herself to keep her temper in check. "He's spent the past few months getting ready to face you and I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you but it's not easy for him either."

"Hey, Maria – "

She silenced him with a quick look before turning her attention back to the woman who had brought him back. "Go on."

"He's been terrified of coming back and facing you but he knew he had to do it if he was ever gonna find any peace. He's been writing you for a year and even though you never once responded he still came back."

"Not that it's any of your business," Maria bit out, "but I didn't receive a single one of those letters until last night. My mother never sent them to me; she kept them and the only reason I even have them now is because she's trying to fix things between us and she brought them with her when she came to visit this past weekend."

Michael listened to their conversation for a few minutes but the constant back-and-forth remarks were making him dizzy. He started to slide down the wall but was forced to stop mid-slide when Maria shifted and wedged her shoulder up under his arm to keep him upright. She was pissed and he knew it but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her; without a doubt she was the most beautiful woman in the world but when she was mad her cheeks got flushed and her eyes darkened to jade and electric sparks shot from them making her even more beautiful.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling her familiar scent.

"Not now, Michael," she snapped, her angry gaze still directed at Charlotte.

"Look, I brought him here so he could talk to you – "

"And what exactly is your reason for being here? I know why he's here but why are you here?"

Charlotte hid a smile at the jealous questions. "He was nervous about coming back and seeing you again so when he asked me to come with him I agreed. He's my best friend; I'm here for morale support, nothing else."

"If you're his friend and you know how alcohol affects him then how could you take him out in public knowing that he might expose himself by using his powers?"

"Drinking just mellows him out." She shrugged. "Anything he does under the influence has always been minimal."

Maria's eyes narrowed as she observed the way the woman was watching her.

Charlotte shrugged. "You're probably thinking that it's completely irresponsible for me to sit back while he drinks – "

"How perceptive of you." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You shouldn't make her mad, Charlie. She won't – "

"Michael, I'm not telling you again: be quiet."

"I don't really see the problem; he's always at either his place or my place so there's no chance anyone's gonna see him like this and it allows him to feel normal for a little while."

"The problem is it's dangerous; it compromises his safety. You've never seen what could happen to him if he was caught by the wrong people; you don't know what they'll do to him if they catch him. Do you honestly think – "

"Maria, I need to tell – "

"What did I just tell you?" she snapped. She glanced up at him and did a double take when she looked into his dark eyes. "What? What's the matter? What do you need to tell me?"

"I love you," he muttered and slumped forward as he passed out.

"Yeah, well, I kinda love you too, you big, dumb ox," she said, grunting as she took all of his weight.

Charlotte grabbed his other arm and slung it over her own shoulders to support part of his weight. "You want him in the living room?"

"No, we'll put him in my room; it's farther away but he'll be more comfortable there than sleeping on the couch." Together they maneuvered him down the hall and into her room, where they lowered him down onto the bed.

"I'll leave you two alone."

"Michael said you made him come here."

"We're in Colorado because he wanted to fix things with you," Charlotte said, watching the other woman for her reaction. "He can't change the past but he wants the opportunity to make his case for the future. Look, I don't know what happened earlier; all he told me was that he froze and couldn't get what he wanted to say out in the open."

"Your point?"

"I think you more than anybody else knows how difficult it is for him to talk about his feelings and you have to know how hard it was for him to come back so just… please give him a chance to get it out. He's always spoken very highly of you, always said that you saw something in him that no one else ever took the time to look for, and he's worked very hard to get himself into a position where he felt that he was good enough to come back to you."

"I have every intention of hearing what he has to say, but not with an audience."

"I can take a hint," Charlotte said, leaving the room.

Maria followed her to the door, closing and locking it behind her. She pushed the curtain aside, watching until the woman had gotten into her car and driven away. She turned and leaned against the wall, releasing a ragged breath as she ran a weary hand through her hair. She stared at the hallway that led to her bedroom and the only man she had ever loved as she contemplated her options.

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Bright light pierced his closed eyelids and Kyle made the mistake of opening his eyes. He closed them just as quickly, rubbing them to get rid of the spots that exploded across his field of vision. He groaned and rolled over to face the back of the couch, welcoming the darkness as he buried his face in the cushion.

_Why was he sleeping on the couch?_ he wondered, trying to remember what he had done this time. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to warrant exile from the bedroom; it wouldn't be the first time he hadn't believed he deserved it but it would be the first time he couldn't remember why he was there in the first place. The fact that the sun was up finally registered and that meant he was late for work. He rolled into a sitting position so quickly that he over-balanced and ended up on the floor.

"Kyle, you all right, man?"

He looked up when Max spoke and shook his head. "What're you doin' here so early?"

"Well, I live here so I'm usually here in the mornings," Max answered, amusement laced in his voice. "Isabel already called your boss and told him you wouldn't be in today."

"What?" He searched his groggy mind for a rational reason for why he wasn't at home but it wasn't coming to him. "Where's Isabel?" he croaked out.

"Hey, Is, your fiancé needs you," he yelled, his voice loud in the quiet apartment.

"What'd you do to him?" she demanded when she entered the room and saw him sitting on the floor. "Are you all right?"

"Hey, why do you automatically think I did something to him?" Max asked indignantly.

"Go help your wife with breakfast," she ordered, not bothering to look to see if he would do what she told him to do.

"What're we doin' over here?"

Isabel helped him back up onto the couch and sat on the coffee table facing him. "My parents showed up yesterday, remember?"

He winced when the events of the day before suddenly came back to him. "And I fell asleep in the middle of the conversation, didn't I? Great, I can just imagine what they think of me now."

"Stop it," Isabel snapped. "They think very highly of you and I wouldn't worry about falling asleep; my dad and Max did the same thing."

"You've been up talking to your mom and Liz all night?"

"We had a lot to catch up on."

Kyle watched her as she talked about her parents; her features were animated and her eyes sparkled with excitement. He knew how much it meant to her for her parents to know who she was and to still accept her and love her unconditionally. He didn't know what had possessed Michael to talk to her mother and reveal their secret but he was grateful that he had taken that leap on his own. Watching her now he knew their last big hurdle had been moved out of the way and she would be able to move forward without any reservations. Her parents' acceptance was important to her and now that she had that he knew nothing from their past stood in the way of their happiness.

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Michael awoke by degrees, his brain registering new sensations as he made his way to full awareness. He wasn't in his hotel room; the bed was way too comfortable and it didn't smell like cheap furniture polish. _No,_ he thought with a smile, _the room smelled_ _like Maria._ The scent of cedar oil was the most prominent and it just proved that some things never changed. She had carried a vial of the stuff around everywhere she went when they were in high school, swearing up and down that it had a calming affect on nerves. He didn't buy it; as much of the stuff as she had inhaled she'd have to be the calmest person on the planet and that wasn't even close to being the case. But she believed it and that was what was important.

He knew she was in the bed with him and he wondered if it had anything to do with his drunken confession the night before. He could feel her weight against his back, the position so familiar it brought the memories rushing to the surface of his mind. Since the first time they had slept together after the fallout with his foster father and the subsequent fight with Max and Isabel they had always ended up asleep in the same position. It didn't matter how they fell asleep, when he woke up he would be sprawled out on his stomach and she would be plastered against his back. He had never asked her why they always ended up like that, he knew the answer without asking; it was her way of protecting him and he had a feeling that she knew he never slept better than he did when she was shielding him the only way she could. She had taken care of him, heart, body, and soul the entire time they had been together and waves of guilt crashed in on him as he thought about the day he had so callously thrown everything away.

Even after so much time apart she was still attuned to him; she felt the change in him and without fully waking she shifted to kiss the shoulder under her cheek, whispering words that were indistinguishable as her hand stroked his arm soothingly. His heart calmed at the familiar gestures and he felt her settle back into a deep sleep as he relaxed again. He wished he hadn't passed out before hearing her response to his declaration the night before.

Quiet babbling drew his gaze to the baby monitor on her nightstand and he reached over to switch it off before sliding out from under the warmth of her body. Her arm automatically stretched out, seeking him out even in sleep and he eased his pillow under her arm, smiling when she pulled it against her body possessively. He resisted the urge to lean over and kiss her, choosing instead to leave the room quietly and closing the door behind him.

He made a quick call to Charlotte while changing Alex and getting him dressed. He had to laugh when the boy threw a fit about socks and shoes and he finally gave up on both since he knew it was going to be a warm day. He managed to get the boy fed and changed again before she arrived with his bag then conned her into watching Alex so he could grab a quick shower.

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Maria rolled over and opened her eyes, glancing at the alarm clock before pushing herself to a sitting position. She wasn't worried about work since she had called the night before and let them know that something had come up with her family and she would be out the next day. They hadn't had any concerns about her being out because she hardly ever took time off and she had an assistant who was more than capable of handling the restaurant while she was gone.

The fact that it was nearly eleven o'clock and she hadn't heard Alex bothered her until she leaned over to look at the monitor and saw that it had been switched off. _Michael_ _must have gotten up with him,_ she thought with a smile. She couldn't deny that it was nice to have him there but she wondered how long it would last before he took off again. _No, she wasn't going to think of it like that. She was going to give him a chance to say what he had to say and then she would see where they went from there._

Rolling out of bed she made her way to the bathroom and turned the water in the shower on. While she waited for the water to get hot she reached for her toothbrush and the toothpaste, freezing when she saw the extra toothbrush, mouthwash, shaving cream, razor, aftershave, and comb neatly lined up against the back of the counter. She flushed hotly as she realized that he had stood in that very spot and gone through his morning routine. Her gaze was drawn to the shower and she felt heat that was in no way associated with the temperature in the bathroom rush through her body.

"God, what are you, sixteen years old?" she muttered to herself. "Control yourself – it's just the shower."

Almost an hour later she stepped out on the back deck and stopped at the sight in front of her. Michael was facing the house, bent over at the waist so Alex could maintain his grasp on his father's hands as he took small, wobbly steps. They were both barefooted and she rolled her eyes when she noticed that the cuffs of her son's jeans were rolled up just like Michael's were. She could hear his voice but she couldn't distinguish any of the words due to the distance between them. She moved to sit on the top step, unable to tear her gaze away from the two most important people in her life.

Michael studied each step his son took, wondering if it was his imagination or if his steps really were getting steadier. He couldn't explain the feelings that overwhelmed him each time the boy looked up at him. He smiled a lot and he had definitely gotten that from his mother because he was sure he had never smiled that openly. Alex was happy and he was surrounded by people who loved him and would do anything to keep him safe and he found himself wondering if there was room for him. He didn't know what the future held for him and Maria but he knew that he wasn't leaving without putting up a fight for both her and his son.

He looked down when Alex stopped walking and started bouncing up and down, his body dangerously close to falling in his excitement. He made several attempts to speak before he finally got out the first two syllables he had ever spoken.

"Mama!"

He lifted his head and found himself staring at the woman who controlled his future and he felt himself smile in response to the expression of happiness on her face. He scooped Alex up in his arms and carried him over to her, placing him in her lap and dropping to sit down beside her. He watched her as she covered the boy's face in kisses and then tickled him until he was squirming around and giggling.

"That's the first time I've actually heard him say a word," Michael said after Alex had grown quiet and settled back against his mother's body. "Everything else has just been gibberish."

"It was his first word," she said proudly. "He only has a couple of other words that he's learned so far."

"Well?" he demanded impatiently, "what are they?"

"I think you should wait until he feels like saying them." She looked down at her son. "I think it's time for you to take a nap."

"You want me to get a bottle for him?"

"Sure."

They settled in the living room once Alex had gone to sleep, sitting across from each other as they each waited for the other one to speak first.

"This is your show, Michael," she said, breaking the silence. "I'm willing to listen but for me to do that you have to talk."

He took a deep breath and jumped in with both feet. "There's nothing I can do to change what I said to you or what I did; all I can do is explain why and hope that you can forgive me for being such a jackass." He paused and ran a hand through his hair. "I know how scared I was when you told me you were pregnant so I can only imagine how terrified you must've been. I knew before I ever opened my big mouth that you never would've even considered the possibility of terminating the pregnancy but I freaked out and as selfish as it sounds I was afraid of losing you. With all the lies that Tess told us we didn't know what could happen and I just couldn't believe that you were willing to risk keeping the baby knowing that in the end it might cost you your life. You were the one person who understood me when no one else could even scratch the surface, you loved me even knowing everything you knew about me, and all I could see was losing that safety and security that I had allowed myself to get used to." He shook his head. "Don't get me wrong here; I was terrified of being a father but the thought of you dying because I had gotten you pregnant was… suffocating. I couldn't face the possibility of losing you like that and I was too much of a coward to tell you so I let you think the worst and I ran that night because I knew you'd be back after you'd had time to think. I knew you'd come back and you'd find a way to convince me that everything would be all right and I'd believe you just because you believed it was true and when the time came and carrying a baby that was mine was too much for you and it killed you… I knew it would kill me too. I couldn't watch you go through the pregnancy knowing that it was killing you and knowing that I was responsible for destroying the only good thing in my life. So I did the only thing I knew to do; I ran as far and as fast as I could."

Maria remained quiet, letting him get as much of it out in one shot as he could. She knew how difficult it was for him to talk about his feelings and it had to be important if he was revealing this much of himself. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on top of them.

"I knew after the first week or so that Max was chasing after me and it was taking everything I had to keep Isabel out of my head at night. I had to stay on the move for the first few months so most of the jobs only lasted a week or two. I finally got to where I could block both of them and I finally lost Max and Liz in some small town in Idaho. I kept moving for a few more weeks and ended up in of Seattle of all places. Do you have any idea how much it rains there?" He reached up to scratch his eyebrow. "You know how I used to mess around with carving and whittling?"

"Um-hmm."

"I started to work with stone in my spare time and I picked up the skill fairly easy which is how I met Kate McAllister. I lived in an apartment over the garage I was working at and I kept all of the finished pieces on a shelf that was visible from the garage. She came in one day to pick up her car and she saw them but I wouldn't take her upstairs to look at them. Well, she kept coming back and badgering me until I finally let her have a good look at them." He shrugged. "I never thought much about it, y'know? It was just a hobby, something to do to keep my hands busy but she took one look at them and started going on about how she could sell them for a lot of money. I didn't believe her of course; I mean, why would anyone shell out the kinda money she was talking about for a hunk of marble? But she wouldn't quit so I finally agreed to let her show them as long as she kept my name out of it."

"You never expected to hear from her again."

"No. I figured she'd show the pieces and then reality would slap her in the face and she'd bring them back to me and never darken my doorstep again. But that's not exactly what happened. She came back the following Monday and handed me a check for almost five thousand dollars and an offer that I never expected. Which is how I ended up meeting Charlie." He smirked at the jealous look in her eyes. "She owns one of the local tourist traps and my sculptures are sold exclusively in her shop." He shrugged one shoulder. "I knew the first time I met her that I'd be able to work with her because she's a lot like you." He didn't comment on the annoyed look that crossed her face. "We became friends and she's been good for me, Maria. You know how much trouble I have talking about anything personal but I was able to talk to her about stuff that was threatening my sanity. I was having a lot of trouble with walking out on you the way I did and she spent hours listening to me, never judging, but always ready with her opinion. We're friends but it's never gone beyond that. It's kinda like your relationship with Max." He breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't question why he felt the need to make that point clear.

"Kate is my agent and she had a fit when I refused to move into this huge apartment she had picked out; it's in an area of the city where a lot of artists live and it's kinda the place to be if you're a local artist. But I found a quiet little place outside the city limits with a garage that I was able to convert into a workshop where I can do my work in peace and not have to worry about being disturbed. I live about a quarter of a mile from this really nice couple who's always dragging me over to their place for dinner because they think I spend too much time alone… and they're probably right. Charlie spends a lot of time at my place and she stays the night a lot of times because it's far enough out of the city that I wouldn't want her driving it alone when it's really late or when the weather's bad. She humors me most of the time but every once in a while she pulls the independence card and I've gotta wait for a phone call to let me know she's made it home safe. It drives me crazy when she does that."

"Why do you call her Charlie?"

"I started that because it drove her up the wall; she hated it at first but after a while it just kinda stuck." He shook his head as he stood up and crossed to the window that overlooked the front yard. "She helped me get ready to come back and face what I had done and every time I felt like I wasn't gonna be able to do it she pushed me to keep going." He chuckled under his breath. "She sprayed me with pepper spray the night I asked her to help me."

"What?"

"She did," he said, shaking his head. "It was late and I knocked on the door of her shop but she didn't answer so I went around back and knocked on the window, but that didn't get her attention either. I thought maybe she was in the storeroom so I pushed the window up and while I was climbing through she jerked the blinds up and hit me with the pepper spray. And let me tell you – that stuff is highly effective; I don't think my eyes stopped burning for a week."

Maria watched him as he stared outside. "When she brought you back over here last night you were drunk; what the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I had blown my chance to explain things to you." He winced. "I wasn't expecting Charlie to drag me back over here like that. It's not something I do a lot, Maria, but I do have a drink or two on occasion." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't drink in public and I've never drank around anyone but her; I've always been very careful about that." He leaned against the wall beside the window and turned his head to regard her. "I would never drink around Alex; I would never take a chance like that with him."

"A chance like what?" Maria asked, returning his watchful stare. "A chance that you might turn into a mean drunk like Hank?" She shook her head. "I don't see that happening, Michael. I wouldn't want you drinking around our son but not because I'm even the slightest bit worried that you might turn mean."

"I was around Hank for close to ten years… we have no way of knowing how much of his behavior rubbed off on me."

"You've always been quick to believe the worst about yourself but I will not sit here and listen to this bull; I've told you before that he was an animal and you are not like him."

"I just don't wanna hurt him, Maria… I don't wanna hurt either of you but I'm still scared that just being who I am is gonna hurt you one day." He raised his right hand to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb and lowered his gaze to stare at the floor. "I want you to give me another chance more than anything else and I can't help thinking that even if you do I'm gonna screw it up." He paused to glance outside again. "I miss being with you… I used to think being alone was the only way to be and now I hate it because before you I could be alone and not know what I was missing. I know what I'm missing now and being alone just… well, it sucks."

"I didn't get your letters until my mom came up here to visit last weekend. She had kept all of them and never told me about them."

"Mrs. Evans told me your mom kicked you out – "

"It's history," she interrupted, holding a hand up. "Saturday was the first time I've seen her since Kyle and I moved up here and we've agreed to work on our relationship. It was a very long weekend."

"How can you not hate me?"

"Oh, it was touch and go there for a while. I was angry and hurt and I cursed your name through every agonizing minute of the thirty-seven hours I was in labor – "

Michael winced. "Thirty-seven hours?"

"Oh, yes. You can ask Kyle; he was there for the whole thing. Of course, if you ask him he'll probably whine about the fact that I broke his little finger during a really painful contraction."

"You broke his finger?"

"Only one of them," she said defensively. "I left the other nine alone and it's not like it was intentional." She smiled when he flexed his fingers before shoving his hands in his pockets. "I knew as soon as I held Alex that I would eventually get past the hurt feelings and the anger because no matter what else you had done, you had given me a piece of yourself and I wouldn't trade that for anything. That little boy has changed my life and you're the reason I have him; I could never hate you for that."

"Do you think you could ever love me again?"

"Could I ever love you _again_?"

He felt his heart plummet when she shook her head.

"I never stopped loving you, Michael. But we need to take this slow; I'm not ready to just jump back in without taking some time to make sure it's right."

"Then we'll take all the time you think is necessary."

"There are a lot of things to consider." She rested her chin in her hand and watched him. "How long are you gonna be in town?"

"As long as it takes."

"Hmmm, a cryptic answer. Try again."

"I never should've left you; if I leave again it'll be because you don't want me in your life."


	4. Chapter 4

Isabel tossed her keys on the counter and grabbed a drink out of the refrigerator before heading for the shower. More than an hour later she stepped out of the house and paused when she saw the man sitting on the bottom step.

"Maria said your office closes early on Wednesdays so I thought I'd come by and see if you wanted to talk," he said by way of greeting.

"I was just on my way to see you."

"Kyle told you where I'm stayin'?"

"Of course."

"I told him not to."

"Because you would do what to him?" She smirked at him when he didn't have an answer. "My threats are taken much more seriously than yours ever will be; Kyle knows better than to cross me."

"Well, that rules out my theory that he's completely stupid," Michael grumbled good-naturedly. "When did you guys get engaged?"

"A couple of months ago."

"The engagement ring was a nice touch."

"I thought so." She sat down next to him, close enough to lean against his shoulder. "I haven't had a chance to thank you for what you did."

He shrugged. "It's not necessary."

"I can't even begin to tell you what it means to me that my parents know everything."

"We shouldn't have held you back when you were ready to tell them, Is. You were right; they could've handled the truth. And I know how much you always enjoyed being right." He nudged her with his shoulder. "I assume that hasn't changed."

"I don't think that'll ever change."

"I'm sorry 'bout takin' off the way I did."

"You don't owe me an apology for that, Michael; I did some running of my own after you left. I needed to get away from everything and you gave me the opening I needed."

"How?"

"My biggest obstacle was off chasing you," she said with a tight smile. "Without Max there telling me what to do all the time I had the freedom to get away from Roswell and try to put my life back together."

"Looks like it worked for you."

"I wasn't so sure at first."

"Why?"

"I knew it wouldn't be easy to get things back on the right track with Kyle and it wasn't. He was completely uncooperative at first, keeping things on a friends-only level and avoiding me at every turn. The worst thing was I couldn't really blame him for acting that way."

He nodded at the engagement ring on her left hand. "Looks like you straightened him out," he said with a teasing smile. "What made you decide to come back?"

Isabel considered his question for several long minutes before she spoke. "I don't know if I can really explain it. I was confused when I left and I thought distance would sort things out… make things a little more clear I guess."

"Did it?"

"Not at first. I spent most of my time trying not to think about why I had left and the distance just allowed me to hide from life. I worked, I went to my apartment, and I spent hours at the beach nearly every night just staring at the ocean…" She shook her head.

"Why'd you leave Roswell?"

"Fear was a big part of it; I was falling in love with Kyle and I couldn't deal with it. I was terrified that something would happen to him because of us and after losing Alex I didn't know if I could take that kind of a chance again. I also felt like having feelings for Kyle was wrong… like I was betraying Alex by loving someone else."

"You know that's not true, right?"

"Yeah, I do now."

Michael's right eyebrow quirked at her secretive smile and he shifted to look at her closely. "You've seen him," he said suddenly.

"Would that surprise you?"

"Not really."

"I saw him about a month before I left California," she admitted. "He showed up on the beach and we talked all night. You're not gonna make a joke now?"

"No. I know how Whitman felt about you so I have no doubt that it's true. If you were in pain and he could do anything about it he would; I guess even death couldn't stand in his way."

"I haven't told anyone else."

Michael nodded.

"So, what made you decide to come back?" Isabel asked, turning the tables on him.

"Maria. I was never comfortable with the decision I made and I finally couldn't stand not knowing whether or not she was okay…" He sighed roughly. "I was scared she wouldn't survive being pregnant with my kid and when she said she was keeping the baby… I didn't wanna be responsible for her death too."

"Why did you think that was a possibility?"

"Tess lied about everything but there was just enough truth mixed in to make what she said believable. I've got Pierce's blood on my hands and I can live with that because it was a choice between him and all of you…" He shrugged. "Wasn't much of a choice really." He stared at his fisted hands. "I couldn't live with her blood on my hands too."

"She's fine, Michael," Isabel said quietly. "And so is your son."

"My son," he repeated softly. "Did you ever think I'd be a father? Or, that out of the three of us I'd be the first one to have a kid?" He felt the immediate tension in the woman next to him and he turned to look at her, concerned when he saw the pain in her eyes. "Isabel?"

"Don't." She stood and moved away from him. She was reaching blindly for the screen door when his hand closed around her arm and prevented her from leaving.

The connection opened between them and Michael inhaled sharply when he was assaulted by waves of intense emotions that were so powerful they threatened to pull him under.

"God, Michael," she snapped, jerking her arm out of his grasp. She knew he hadn't intended to connect with her – he had only been trying to keep her from walking away – but now he knew her secret.

"Why didn't you tell somebody?"

"So you could tell me the same thing you told Maria?"

He recoiled and she immediately regretted the harsh words. She reached out to him and he shook his head and backed away from her outstretched hand. She watched him walk away and knew better than to chase after him at that moment. The words she had flung at him so carelessly had cut deeply and she wondered if he would be able to forgive her. Because their emotions had been so close to the surface the connection had formed easily and it had flowed both ways, leaving them exposed and vulnerable.

Like the others, she had always been certain that Michael had known that Maria was pregnant when he left but she had never imagined that his reaction had been so heartless and cruel. On the other hand she had also felt the weight of the guilt he carried and she wondered how much guilt one person could shoulder before it became too much for them to live with.

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Maria looked up from the mountain of paperwork and smiled when she saw the woman who had knocked on the door. The smile quickly faded when she realized that the tall blonde was upset.

"Isabel? What's the matter?" she asked, standing and hurrying around her desk to usher the other woman over to the leather couch that sat under the picture window.

"I just royally screwed up, Maria."

"I'm sure whatever it is – "

"It's Michael. You know how easy it is for us to connect when there are strong emotions involved?"

"I already don't like where this is going."

"Long story short – he knows I was pregnant and I know what he said to you the night he left." She chewed the thumbnail on her left hand as she waited for a response.

"Tell me what you said," Maria urged gently.

"He asked why I never said anything and I yelled at him… I asked him if he would've told me the same thing he told you." She brushed at the tears that were falling freely from her pain-filled eyes. "I'm sorry, Maria; I didn't mean it."

Maria sat beside her and wrapped her arms around Isabel. "I know you didn't," she whispered. She knew the words had been spoken with no forethought; Isabel had reacted instinctively, protecting herself by striking out with the most convenient weapon at hand and unfortunately it had been something she couldn't take back.

"I don't know where he went."

"He hasn't left," Maria said, desperately hoping she was right. He had told her if he left it would be her decision and she wanted to believe him but this time she refused to let her heart rule her mind when it came to him. "I'm sure once he's had time to calm down he'll realize you didn't mean what you said." She glanced at the clock on the wall above the door. "I'm gonna go talk to him and I want you to go pick Alex up from the sitter."

Isabel nodded. "Please tell him I'm sorry."

"How often did you two get into knock-down drag-out fights when we were in school? You always forgave each other no matter what started the argument."

"But he – "

"He's probably already forgiven you, Isabel," she said as she led the way out to the parking lot, waving at the employees they passed. "Give my boy a kiss and tell him I'll be home soon."

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Charlotte rolled her eyes when a knock sounded at the door and she left the balcony and crossed the room to open the door. She wasn't surprised by the presence of the woman standing in the hall, arms crossed over her chest as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"He's out on the balcony," she said, aware that Maria wasn't interested in formalities. "I'll leave the two of you alone; just tell him to give me a call when you guys are finished and I'll come back."

Maria nodded and stepped around the other woman, not bothering to comment on the fact that her hair was a completely different color than it had been two days earlier. She made her way through the room and was satisfied to see that both beds were being used. She stepped out onto the balcony and glanced around, her gaze settling on Michael where he sat at the table in the corner. He was slouched down in his chair, his booted feet propped up on the edge of the table. He stared sightlessly at the open bottle of whiskey that stood mere inches away from his hand, fingers drumming out a staccato rhythm. Every so often the drumming would stop and he would tap the ring on his middle finger against the edge of the table.

He spoke before she had the chance to let him know she was there.

"Y'know, for ten years I watched Hank drink himself stupid every single night and I didn't understand why he did it." He shook his head, his gaze focusing on the amber liquid in the glass he was cradling in his left hand. "I can see the attraction… why people are drawn to it; they're tempted by the promise of oblivion even if it's only a temporary fix for their problems. What I don't understand is how people let it control their lives. At what point do they just throw in the towel and lose their will to deal with their problems on their own?"

"Is that what this is?" She gestured at the bottle and the glass he held. "Some kind of test to see if you're stronger than a bottle of alcohol? How long have you been doing this to yourself?"

"Years," he replied without thinking. "Since you told me your – " He cleared his throat and started drumming his fingers again.

"Since I told you my father was an alcoholic?" Closing the distance between them she took the glass from his hand and set it on the table. "You don't have to do this; how many times do I have to tell you you're not like him?"

Dropping his feet to the floor he leaned forward and picked the glass up. He raised it to the lip of the bottle and tipped the glass to pour the alcohol back into the larger container.

"What was your first thought when you saw me the other night?" he asked as he slowly screwed the cap back on the bottle. "When Charlie took me over to your house and dropped me off while I was drunk?"

Maria reached for his chin and lifted it, forcing him to meet her eyes for the first time since her arrival. "My first thought was actually aimed at your friend. I couldn't believe that she had taken you out in public like that."

"The few times that I have had a drink or two she's been with me and about the only thing I do is get really mellow. She wouldn't have taken me out in public if she felt – "

"It doesn't matter, Michael!" she snapped, moving to stand at the short wall that ran along the outer perimeter of the balcony. "It's too risky and I don't want it to happen again."

"It won't."

"I'm sorry." She turned to face him, her expression contrite. "I didn't come here for this; I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You must've talked to Isabel." He glanced up at her. "Why didn't you tell them the truth?"

"Because it was none of their business."

"Liar," he accused softly. "You shouldn't have protected me." He pushed himself to his feet and joined her, leaning on the wall and staring out over the city. "Is she okay?"

"She's afraid she chased you off."

"You can let her know I'm still here. As terrifying as Isabel can be it's gonna take a lot more than her temper to chase me off."

Maria leaned against him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "It would mean a lot more if it came from you. Come back to the house and have dinner with us."

"I don't know, Maria… Valenti's gonna be there and – "

"Kyle will tolerate you being there for me and Isabel." She smiled when his fingers threaded through hers. "We all know she can take care of herself but he's very protective of her and he can't stand it when she's upset about anything. So, believe me; he'll behave."

Michael stared at her thumb as she used it to trace over the small scars that marred his hands. "I got them while I was sculpting," he said, anticipating her question before she could voice it.

"You could've healed them."

He shook his head and straightened to his full height. "Let me change shirts and give Charlie a call, let her know I'm gonna be out."

Maria followed him back inside and waited patiently while he changed. She looked around the room, surprised to see a chessboard set up on the table in the corner. The pieces were scattered over the board indicating that the game had been abandoned but not finished. "When did you start playing chess?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the noise he was making.

He stepped out of the bathroom and switched the razor off to give her his full attention. "What?"

"When did you start playing chess?"

"A while back; it's Charlie's favorite game and it's also the only one I haven't been able to win. I can beat her at everything else, but I haven't had any luck with chess." He ran a hand over his face before disappearing back inside the bathroom to finish shaving. When he came out a few minutes later he rummaged through the shirts hanging in the closet and finally came out with a dark blue button-up shirt.

She watched him slip it on over a white undershirt and button all but the top three buttons. She wondered when he had switched from the tee shirts he had always favored as he rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. Her left eyebrow rose when he reached for a watch and slid it onto his wrist, tightening the band until it was comfortable. He had never worn a watch and it seemed unnatural on him.

Michael froze when he looked up and saw the frown on her face as she stared at his wrist. "It's uh… it was a gift… for my birthday last year," he explained haltingly. "Charlie made a big fuss over it and…" He fidgeted with the watch nervously, uncertain where her thoughts were leading her. "I won't wear it if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, that's not necessary," she assured him. "It's just not something I ever expected to see you wearing."

"Okay, well, I guess we can go." He grabbed his wallet and held the door open for her.

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The sound of crying greeted them as they entered the house and Maria hurried down the hall, following the racket created by a fussy baby. She found Kyle in the living room, pacing the floor as he tried to calm his nephew down.

"What's wrong with him?" Michael asked, watching Maria as she cradled their son in her arms and checked him over.

"He's cutting a new tooth," she answered, patting the baby's back gently. "He'll be fine."

"You want me to take him?"

She carried him over to his father, pleased by the offer. "Are you sure?" She handed Alex over when Michael nodded then reached up to stroke her son's head.

"New tooth, huh? Where's it at?"

Kyle observed the couple for several minutes before leaving the room and going upstairs. He opened the door to his bedroom, entering the room quietly so he wouldn't disturb Isabel; she had decided to take a nap after he had gotten home and he hadn't had a chance to ask her what was bothering her. He had known that something had upset her as soon as he had walked through the front door but she had handed Alex to him and disappeared without so much as a word.

"What's going on?"

He closed the door and crossed the darkened room to sit on the bed beside her. "Maria just got home and she brought Michael with her."

"Is Alex feeling any better?" she asked, pushing herself up to lean back against the headboard.

"Not much but Maria gave him to Michael so…"

"He's Alex's father, Kyle." She reached up to rub his back, knowing he felt like he was being replaced in his nephew's life.

"I know." He sighed and stretched out, pulling her into his arms when she slid down beside him. "You gonna tell me what's got you upset now?"

He listened as she explained what had happened earlier and he held her closer as her tears soaked his shirt. His first instinct was to go back downstairs and show Michael exactly what happened to people who caused his fiancé pain but he knew that would only upset her further so he remained where he was. She lay quietly afterwards, the room silent except for the soft hiccupping sounds she was making. He knew nothing he could say would help; she needed to hear the words from Michael and once again he felt like he was being pushed out by the man who had walked away from everyone and turned his back on his responsibilities.

"You should probably go down there and talk to him."

Isabel came up on one elbow and looked down at him, easily reading the mixed emotions chasing across his features. "What I said to him was reprehensible, Kyle; he's the only one who can forgive me for that."

"I know."

"Do you?" She reached up to stroke the side of his face. "Because I kinda feel like you think he's pushing you out of the way and he's not. Michael would never do that and I would never let it happen. I'm in love with you and we've worked too hard to get where we are now to let anything come between us."

He nodded. "I love you," he whispered, sliding one hand around her neck and tugging her closer to kiss her.

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"Is he in this much pain every time a new tooth comes in?" Michael asked, staring down at his son. Alex was quiet now, one of his tiny hands wrapped around his father's thumb where it held his bottle steady.

"The first couple were rough and the one that came in after that wasn't too bad but I guess this one's gonna be like the first two." She leaned back against the counter, arms folded across her chest as she watched the domestic scene. Her eyes watered against her will and she turned back to the stove so he wouldn't see the effect he was having on her.

"Maria?"

Confident that she had her emotions under control she turned back around to face him.

"Is my friendship with Charlie gonna be a problem?"

"What?"

"I'm sure you've noticed that she's a woman." He shrugged when she gave him a pointed look. "I was just wonderin' if you thought it was gonna be a problem?"

"And what if I do have a problem with it?" She knew it wasn't a fair question but she wanted to see how he responded.

"We talked about this the other night. Me and Charlie," he clarified unnecessarily. "She knows that if you're not comfortable with her bein' in my life that I'll sacrifice – "

Maria held her hand up in a bid for silence. She hadn't really expected an answer; the most she had hoped for was that he wouldn't yell and wake Alex up. But he had obviously put some serious thought into how she would feel about his best friend being a woman.

"I don't expect you to do that. It's just gonna take some time to get used to her."

"You'll love 'er once you get to know each other; she's a lot like you. That's why I signed an exclusive contract with her after only one meeting. I'll bet I didn't get more than a handful of words out because she was talkin' so fast. Then she started goin' on about my aura and how she had never seen one quite like mine and out of nowhere she wanted to know if I believed in aliens." He smiled at the memory. "I told her the existence of aliens was preposterous and she stared at me for a few seconds then flat-out called me a liar. Never lie to someone who can see your aura… it's a big waste of time."

"You believe she can actually see auras?"

"I didn't at first." Michael snorted. "At first I thought she had some sort of vision disorder but after a while I realized that she could accurately pinpoint people's emotions without even speaking to them."

"That must be difficult for you… having someone around who can read you so well." She lowered her gaze to the floor and a moment later a rough hand cupped her cheek with extreme tenderness.

"Charlie reads my emotions based on some color-coded system that I don't have a prayer of understanding. But you… Baby, all you've ever had to do was look in my eyes and you could see every thought, every feeling, and every emotion. That ability belongs to you exclusively," he said, tipping her head back so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "Don't ever doubt that I came back because I love you and this is what I want."

His dark eyes were burning with intensity and she could easily read the truth behind his words. Her heart started to thump madly in her chest and she knew she had just lost any chance she may have had to make her decisions regarding him with her head. She lifted her hand to rest alongside his jaw, her thumb stroking over the smooth skin of his cheek.

"I believe you," she whispered.

The moment was interrupted when Kyle noisily made his way down the stairs and barged into the kitchen. "Could you not make out over dinner, please?" he muttered as he passed them on his way to the refrigerator. He dug around for a bottle of his preferred soda, twisting the cap off and tossing it in the trash before turning to look at them. Pretending to be unaware of the annoyed looks he was receiving he spoke. "Isabel's on her way down; why don't you let me take Alex and I'll put him down in his room." Without waiting for a response he reached for his nephew, deftly removing him from his father's arms and carrying him out of the room.

"Are you sure – "

"Don't even say it," Maria said before he could finish the thought. "He'll probably be like that for a while but once he gets it out of his system he'll ease up." She nudged him when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. "Go talk to her."

He nodded and followed Isabel into the living room. He watched her move around the room, her movements uneasy and very unlike her normal, controlled self. He had planned to take his cues from her but the fact that she was so out of sorts changed his mind and he stepped directly into her path and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Let it go, Is," he muttered gruffly. He could feel her hands clenching and unclenching in the material of his shirt as she fought against another wave of tears. "What I did to her was wrong but I can't change the past; all I can do is work on the present and hope that she'll let me build a future with her and our son."

"When did you grow up?" she asked with a choked laugh. "I missed it." Her right fist thumped lightly against his shoulder and she heard his quiet chuckle.

"I don't know what I would've said if you'd told us that you were pregnant back then so you and Alex were probably right to keep it from the rest of us. I wish I could say that I would've supported you but the truth is, I probably wouldn't have. But I swear to you, Is, when you and Valenti have a kid I'll be there for you."

"I missed you so much, Michael." She smiled when he patted her back awkwardly. "But I think maybe we had to make it through the past year and a half to get to where we are now and for us to appreciate the people we love."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to tell you you're right?"

"Those are words I never get tired of hearing."

Michael grinned and shook his head. _Maybe things were going to be okay,_ he thought.

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"What do you mean he stayed there?" Kate demanded, staring at Charlotte in disbelief. "He can't just stay in Colorado; he has a life here."

"No," Charlotte disagreed, "he has a house and a few friends here but his life is there. He's following his heart, Kate, and I don't think we have any rights whatsoever to deny him that opportunity."

"He's your best friend; are you telling me you're fine with him just pulling up stakes and moving away?"

"I'll miss him but he's got a chance to get his life on the right track with the woman he loves and I won't stand in his way."

"How do you even know the kid is his? This woman could be – "

"Don't go down that road, Kate," she warned.

"He has a contract with both of us."

"He'll fulfill his obligations."

"Yes, he will."

Charlotte rolled her eyes and wondered if Kate would do something rash. It wouldn't be the first time the agent had chased after one of the artists she handled because she thought they were making a mistake.

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"Did you tell her where I'm stayin'?"

Maria looked up from the salad she was putting together to glance at the man standing beside the open window, his hard gaze focused on something only he could see. He had started to pace, a sure sign that he was agitated.

For the past two weeks they had been getting reacquainted, relearning each other's quirks; the things they had loved and the things that had driven them crazy. It had been an interesting two weeks, filled with things that had been surprising as well as things that had been so familiar it had seemed like no time had passed at all. There had been several arguments but they had been dealt with as quickly as they had cropped up; they hadn't lasted for weeks the way they had before and she had been grateful for that.

_Maybe they_ _had both done some growing up while they had been apart, _she thought.

"What's wrong?" she asked when he hung up.

"That was Charlie; she thinks Kate might be thinking 'bout comin' down here." He ran a hand over his face and sighed raggedly. "Apparently she's havin' a fit over contractual obligations."

"Why?"

"Who knows? There's no reason for her to be worried; I had plenty of sculptures crated and ready for shipment before I left and Charlie has a key to the place so if she gets low on stock all she has to do is call Leo and he'll meet her over there and load them for her."

"So what happens when she runs out of stock?

Michael hid a smile, easily reading between the lines of the question that had been asked in such a nonchalant tone of voice. It was the one thing they hadn't really discussed: what would happen when he had to go back to Seattle? He had told her if he left it would be her decision but he knew she hadn't believed him. Oh, he knew she wanted to believe he was there for good but he also knew she wouldn't just blindly trust him like she had in the past. He knew she wanted to but she had to weigh her decision carefully and do what was in their son's best interest. Having Alex had forced her to grow up a lot faster than she should have but he hadn't once heard her complain.

"You'll be going back to Seattle."

He cursed himself for letting her question go too long without an answer. _On the other hand, she had just given him the opening he had been waiting for._ "Is that what you want?"

"What I want is for my son to have a father he sees more than every other weekend and a couple of weeks over the summer. I don't want to spend the next seventeen years fighting over who gets him on what holidays and – " She blinked in surprise when Michael suddenly appeared in front of her, placing a finger over her lips to stop the rush of words.

"I didn't ask what you want for Alex," he said quietly. "I wanna know what _you_ want."

It seemed like all higher brain functions ceased to exist and rational thought flew out the window when he touched her. She shook her head and backed away from him, moving across the room to put necessary distance between them.

Michael frowned at her actions but ignored the impulse to follow her. "Maria, you gave up everything to have Alex and God knows I don't have any right to demand anything after I walked out on you but I want you to tell me what you want." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "It's not wrong to want something for yourself. It's easy to see that you give that little boy everything you've got and you don't do anything without first thinking about how it'll affect him but you've gotta think about yourself too."

"Your whole life is in Seattle."

"Let's forget about geography for a minute, okay? Where I reside isn't relevant."

"But your job – "

"Isn't relevant."

"Your friends – "

"Also not relevant."

"I don't understand what you want from me." Confusion colored her voice and she shook her head when he crossed the room. He didn't stop until he was standing in front of her and her heart started pounding so hard she imagined he could hear it.

"Tell me what you want."

"I want it all," she said suddenly, her tone defiant. "I want you to love me, I want you to stay, I want to marry you, I want a couple more kids, I want to pursue a career in music, I want you to do the shows your agent's been hounding you about so people can see the man behind the art…" She paused and shrugged, looking away from him. "Like I said, I want it all."

"Can you get tomorrow off?"

"What?"

_Where had that come from? _she wondered. _Probably shouldn't have hit him over the head with the entire list all at once._

"Come with me to Seattle for the weekend."

"Why?"

"Because I'm asking you to," he said simply. "I'm asking you to trust me."

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"_Trust him?"_ Kyle asked in disbelief. "You're tellin' me he asked you to trust him and you're just gonna drop everything and fly to Washington with him?"

"Kyle, he asked me to trust him." Maria stared at her brother, waiting for his response.

"Yeah, and look where that trust got you last time."

Shocked silence fell over the room and he winced. "I'm sorry, Maria; I didn't mean that."

"Y'know what? I'm not interested in getting into this with you." She turned to leave the room. "We're leaving in two hours and I have to pack."

"I know, I know," he said before his fiancé could tell him how wrong he was. "But before you get mad at me you need to remember that he's the one who got her pregnant and then walked out on her."

"And you need to realize that if she can forgive him then you really have no right to stay mad at him. She wants to put the past behind them, Kyle, and you need to step back and let them do things their own way."

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Maria stretched and rolled onto her side, opening her eyes to look around the unfamiliar room. It had been late when they had gotten in the night before and she had barely kept her eyes open long enough to get from the airport to the rental car Michael had reserved. She didn't remember the drive to his house or actually getting out of the car and coming inside which meant that he must have carried her. Pushing herself up to lean against the headboard allowed her to see everything in the sparsely furnished room. It wasn't much more than a place to sleep and other than his clothes tossed over the furniture there weren't any personal touches at all.

"You gonna drag your butt outta bed anytime soon?" Michael asked as he sauntered through the doorway and crossed the room to sit on the bed beside her. He leaned over her and placed his hand flat on the bed to support his weight as he studied her features in the early morning light. "I kinda brought you up here so I could show you something and as much as I'm enjoying you bein' in my bed what I wanted you to see isn't in the house and it's definitely not in the bedroom."

"I don't suppose you made breakfast?"

"Have you forgotten what my cooking tastes like?"

She grimaced. "No, but if I remember correctly you do okay with breakfast. So why don't you go fix me something to eat while I shower and after I eat we'll go see whatever you brought me up here to see."

His eyebrows shot up when she slid down and curled up against his side, already half asleep again. "You goin' back to sleep on me?" he asked quietly, reaching up to brush her hair away from her face.

"Maybe just for a few minutes," she murmured.

"Yeah, I guess you don't get many chances to sleep in anymore, do you?" He leaned down to brush a kiss against her forehead before shifting away from her. His eyes dropped down to his arm when her fingers curled around his wrist, preventing him from getting up.

"Don't go."

"Well, it's waited this long," he whispered as he stretched out beside her and pulled her sleeping form into his arms. "I guess it can wait a little while longer."

He fell asleep without intending to and when he woke up a couple of hours later he was alone but the sound of the shower running told him where Maria was. He rolled out of bed and hurried to the kitchen to get breakfast ready before she finished her shower.

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"You're not gonna tell me what it is, are you?" Maria asked as she followed him into the garage a while later.

"Nope." He switched the lights on and motioned towards the back of the building. "Stay here and I'll be right back."

Maria watched him until he disappeared through the wide opening and wandered over to the workbench, leaning over it to study the tools hanging on the wall. His workspace was meticulously maintained and nothing was out of place. Loud noise from the back drew her attention and she turned in time to see him come through the doorway pulling a pallet jack with a large crate situated on the pallet. He maneuvered it around in an empty space and eased it to a stop before lowering the pallet to the ground and pulling the pallet jack out from under it.

"No touching," he warned with a teasing smile.

She was moving around the crate when he came back with another one, inspecting it for some clue that would tell her what was inside. She switched to the second crate while he went through to the back once more. They were both over six feet tall and nearly five feet wide but there were no markings on them, no identification whatsoever, and the suspense was making her crazy. He brought out a third crate before putting the pallet jack aside and reaching for a crowbar.

He braced his hand against the first crate and tapped the crowbar against his leg, knowing she was getting antsy. "So, is the suspense making you crazy yet?"

Maria knew as soon as he spoke that he was nervous about what her reaction would be to whatever he wanted to show her. She smiled reassuringly at him and waited patiently. "You know how I feel about surprises."

"Yeah." He took a deep breath before dragging a stepladder over and stepping up onto the top step, using the crowbar to pry the top off of the crate.

She watched him as he methodically removed first the top and then the sides of each crate to reveal white sheets that covered the items. He hung the crowbar back up on its hook and rubbed his palms on his jeans before turning to face her.

"You can be honest with me," he said as he reached for the first sheet, tugging on it until it slithered down over the sculpture and fell to the ground. He rolled it up and tossed it across the room to land beside his workbench.

She stared at the life-sized statue, awestruck by the sheer emotion that poured off of it. At first glance it was grotesque but upon further study its beauty shone through. She didn't think there was an actual category for the creature to fall into; it was unlike anything she had ever seen. She moved closer to it, intrigued by the creatures' emotion-ravaged features.

"Oh, my God."

Michael jerked around at the newcomer's voice, frowning when he saw his agent standing in the doorway with Charlotte.

"Uh, Michael, what're you doing here?" Charlotte asked. "We wouldn't have come out if we had known the two of you would be here."

"It was a last-minute deal."

"Michael, I need the ladder," Maria said, reaching out to touch his arm. She wasn't oblivious to their visitors but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sculpture.

Kate stared in disbelief when he ran to fetch the stepladder without an argument, even going so far as to help the blond up the two steps and keeping his right hand on her waist to prevent her from losing her balance or falling as she leaned forward to reverently trace the grooved lines on the creature's face.

"Tell me you're gonna let me sell that one," Kate begged, ignoring the negative shake of his head. "Do you have any idea how much it would go for?"

"It's not for sale." Michael's gaze shot up to Maria when they both spoke the same words at the same time.

"Why don't we get out of here and leave you guys alone," Charlotte said, sensing that something very important was going on. "Give me a call later, maybe we can get together for dinner or something."

"Thanks, Charlie."

She smiled at him and grabbed Kate's arm to drag her out of the building, forced to endure the annoyed griping from her companion. She knew the other woman would still be complaining even when they arrived back at her shop and she was certain that dinner was the least the couple could do to make up for her pain and suffering.

Michael released a grateful sigh when they were left alone in the relative silence of the garage and he waited apprehensively while Maria completed her perusal of the sculpture.

"This is how you see yourself," she said finally, taking his hand as she stepped down to stand on the floor. "Not as the creature itself but what it represents. It's a metaphor."

_She got it,_ he thought, relieved.

Maria stepped back and leaned against him as she cataloged every inch of the sculpture. She studied it for several more minutes before she moved forward and reached out to touch it again.

"Part of the wall it's standing behind has been knocked down repeatedly as evidenced by the pile of rubble at the corner and the bricks missing on the right side. The barbed wire running along the top of the wall is just further proof that he's protecting not only himself but whoever tries to breach his defenses." She crouched down beside the corner and reached out to trace over the small pixie-like figure attempting to chip away at the stones. "This one obviously represents me trying to find a way past your walls – walls that you put back up as fast as I could knock them down." Her fingers traced over the splotches of red that dotted the pixies' wings and the rubble below before standing and pointing at the creature's red-tipped claws. "This is the only color you used; it symbolizes your killing Pierce and your belief that by my association with you I was somehow tainted by it." She pointed back to the pixie below. "That's why you allowed the paint to drip off of the claws to splash against her wings. You believe what happened tied me to you in some way and kept me from moving on." She touched the brick the creature held in its bloody paw. "He's building the wall as fast as she can knock it down but they're trapped in a cycle that neither of them seem to be able to break." She moved on to the creatures' impressive wings. "The wings are extended indicating your readiness to take off at any given moment. The chains criss-crossed over his chest symbolize your attempts to protect your heart even though you wanted nothing more than to free it. But the raw emotion… how did you carve that into a piece of cold, lifeless marble? Every emotion in the book is in his face; anger, fear, love, hate, want, and need." She shook her head and stepped back. "It's absolutely breathtaking, Michael; I've never seen anything like it."

Michael swallowed hard and moved to the second sculpture to silently remove the sheet that covered it. He moved back to allow her access, only moving when she asked for the stepladder once again. She repeated the process once more, running her hands over the sculpture and studying its features before stepping down and walking around it several times.

"This one…" Her hand reached up to trace the pixies' wings. The small pixie had moved directly from the wall to the chains on the creatures' chest. "This would be when I realized that I had been working towards my goal from the wrong direction. The key wasn't knocking down your walls to get to your heart; the key was gaining access to your heart because as soon as I had that the walls would fall on their own. What I didn't realize at the time was that it didn't matter how much I wanted it, you had to give me access to your heart; it had to be given freely or it meant nothing." Her fingers lowered to the creatures' paws. "The claws have been retracted and the wings are only extended about half of their actual wingspan which would be when you finally decided to stop fighting me every step of the way and you swore you wouldn't run again but you were still cautious about your heart." She stared intently at its features, mapping every line there before speaking again. "You had let me in as far as you could but you knew it wasn't enough for either of us." She paused and looked up at the wings again. "The wings aren't fully retracted," she said quietly. "You knew you couldn't stay without giving me your heart of your own free will and you had to know that eventually that would tear us apart. That's part of the reason you took off when I told you I was pregnant, isn't it? You were scared that we couldn't make it work."

"It terrified me," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Maria nodded and motioned to the third sculpture, waiting patiently for him to remove the sheet. Her breath caught in her throat when it was revealed and she stared at it speechlessly, overwhelmed by the pure emotion that radiated off of it; hope and love were the dominant emotions but there was fear there too. The chains that had criss-crossed over the creatures' chest now lay on the ground atop the remains of the wall that wasn't much more than a pile of rubble. The wings had been retracted and were tucked in close to its' body, making it much more approachable and not quite so intimidating. The arms were extended out towards the pixie who stood balanced on the severed link in one of the chains and in its' big paws it held a heart. Tears filled her eyes at the gesture and she glanced around for another sculpture, certain that there had to be another one.

"Isn't there another sculpture?"

"That's the last one," he said, joining her in front of the statue. "How could I sculpt the next one when I don't know how the story ends?"

Maria looked at him, confused by the cryptic statement. "What do you mean?"

"He's offered her his heart but will she accept it?" He reached out to trace his fingers over the heart, sliding his thumb and middle fingers down the sides to release the hidden compartment.

Maria watched him, fascinated when the middle section of the heart slid out like a tiny drawer. She leaned forward and gasped in astonishment when she saw the velvet-lined interior and the diamond ring lying inside.

"I wanted to ask you yesterday after your speech but I was afraid you might think I was just reacting to the moment and I wanted you to know that I've put a lot of thought into this and it's what I want."

"That's why you wanted me to come up here with you this weekend."

Michael lifted the ring up and glanced around the garage as if he were making sure no one was watching him. He cleared his throat and ran his free hand over his chest trying to dislodge the nerves that had taken hold of him as he did something he had never in his wildest dreams imagined he'd do.

Maria couldn't hide her shock when he dropped to one knee in front of her and she quickly recalled the many times he had scoffed at that very gesture when they had watched movies together in the past. She could tell that now that he had made the gesture he didn't know what to say or do and she took pity on him. Sitting on his raised knee she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and held her left hand out. "I appreciate that you're willing to do this for me but you don't have to – "

"Maria, I _want_ to marry you," he insisted.

"No, you don't understand; I'm not letting you off of that hook, babe," she said, meeting his eyes and smiling. "But you don't have to make the grand gesture of getting down on one knee and coming up with words you're not comfortable with."

He nodded and slid the ring onto her waiting finger, grateful that she wasn't going to make him come up with an entire speech that would convince her to marry him. "I love you."

"That's all I need. I love you," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him.

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Isabel opened the front door and quickly ushered her brother and Liz inside. "God, I'm so glad you guys are here," she said, shifting Alex to her left arm and closing the door with her free hand. "Did Maria call you by any chance?"

"Yeah, and I thought she had great news," Liz said as they followed her into the kitchen. "Unfortunately Max has decided that they're making a mistake and he's already booked tickets on the next flight out to Seattle."

"So has Kyle; I was hoping we could talk him out of it."

"I haven't been able to talk Max out of it so I doubt we're gonna have any luck with Kyle either." She looked up when the man they were talking about entered the room.

"All right, I've got my stuff packed," he said as he dropped his bag on the floor by the door. "Here, let me have him while you get ready." He took Alex from his fiancé and looked at their visitors. "You guys are ready to go?"

Max nodded. "We're ready; already called and got the tickets waiting for us. You?"

"Same here." He turned slightly to look at Isabel. "Are you gonna get ready anytime soon? We need to be at the airport in a couple of hours and since it's gonna take most of that time for you to – "

"Have you even stopped to consider that they're both adults and they know what they're doing?" she asked.

"No." He turned back to the bottle he was preparing for Alex. "I'm leaving with or without you in one hour."

"If I didn't think I needed to be there to keep you from making a complete fool of yourself I wouldn't go." She turned her head to look at her brother. "And I'll bet Liz is only going for the same reason."

"The clock is ticking, Isabel."

She rolled her eyes and started to leave the room when a thought suddenly occurred to her. "What about the kids? Tomorrow's Saturday and we do have a regular – "

"I've already called Dani and told her that we had a family emergency come up and we were gonna be out of town all weekend. She'll make sure the kids are taken care of." He made a shooing motion with his hand. "Now would you please go get ready?"

"It's nice to know I'm not the only woman here who can't talk any sense into the man in her life," Liz remarked, glaring at her husband.

Max crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter. "You're telling me you have no problem whatsoever with Michael just showing up after all this time and within two weeks time he's asking her to marry him?"

"That's what I told you before you freaked out and made flight reservations and that's what I'm telling you now."

"It's obviously up to us to fix this, Kyle."

Isabel rolled her eyes and motioned for her sister-in-law to follow her. "Give me a hand with Alex's stuff."

"You know she wants Liz to go with her so they can compare notes on how idiotic and unreasonable we're both being, don't you?" Kyle asked.

"That's because they're thinking about this with their emotions; we're thinking about it with our heads. Two weeks is not enough time to make a decision like this."

"Two weeks? He asked her this morning."

"But how long has he been planning to ask her? What makes him even think he's ready to take a step this big?"

"Exactly. What makes him think all of a sudden that he's ready to be a husband and a father? He spends a couple of weeks with them and it's only been for a few hours each night and the weekends; he hasn't even spent a complete twenty-four hour day with them and he thinks he's ready for this?"

"Absolutely not," Max agreed.

"It's all right though. We'll fix everything."

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Michael ignored the pounding as long as he could but when it continued for several minutes without letting up he was forced to accept that he was going to have to deal with it. He was loathe to get out of bed now that Maria was finally with him in every way but the noise was starting to disturb her sleep and it was too early for her to have to face the day. She grumbled when he moved away from her and eased out of bed, settling back into quiet sleep only after she had wrapped her arms around his pillow and buried her face against it.

He pulled on a pair of jeans when the knocking intensified, grabbing a shirt and closing the door on his way out of the bedroom. He padded across the kitchen floor, his bare feet slapping against the sun-warmed tile. It was rare that anyone other than his neighbors, his agent, or Charlotte came to the house and he could count all of his other visitors over the past year on one hand. He moved down the short hall and was shoving his arm into his shirt as he unlocked the door and jerked it open.

"I hope you have a damn good reason for – " He stared at the people gathered on his small porch as he slowly pulled his shirt the rest of the way on. "I don't suppose you're here to offer your congratulations," he muttered as he stepped back, allowing them to enter the house.

"How very perceptive of you, Guerin," Kyle snapped. "I did some thinking on the way to the airport and realized that you probably wouldn't listen to anything we had to say so I thought you might be more inclined to listen to our parents."

Michael paled when Amy and Jim Valenti stepped inside followed by Phillip and Diane Evans. He was taken by surprise when he was suddenly enveloped in a warm embrace and his arms automatically came up around Isabel.

"Liz and I are on your side," she whispered. "And so are my parents." She ignored the scowl on her fiancé's face as she moved away from Michael and wandered around the room checking things out.

Michael glanced at the last couple to come through his front door, seeing the look of disapproval on Max's face and the sympathy on Liz's. He frowned when his gaze lowered to the little boy lying limply in her arms, his red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks tugging at his father's heartstrings.

"What'd you do to him?" he demanded, lifting his son up and settling him against his chest. He ran his free hand over Alex's flushed face as he searched for a fever or some other reason for his uncharacteristic behavior.

"His normal routine has been severely altered and he tends to get clingy and irritable when that happens," Kyle answered. "He's also at the stage where he's dealing with separation anxiety – "

"He was doin' just fine when Maria called you yesterday."

"That's right; he was fine. We had a few difficult moments but overall he was dealing with his mother being gone just fine. But I couldn't just leave him with his sitter while we came here, could I?"

"Maybe you should've thought about that before you came here," he snarled. "You're the one who upset his routine and allowed him to get all worked up." He fell silent when Alex whimpered, distressed by their angry voices.

"He's not used to being around this kind of tension. He's not used to…"

Michael stared at him for several long moments, gritting his teeth in an effort to keep his temper in check. "Finish that statement, Valenti."

"He's not used to you," the other man bit out, his tone harsh. "What right do you have to come into his life now? What gives you the right to involve yourself in Maria's life after you walked out on them – "

"What I do and why I do it is none of your business."

"Considering that he's the one who picked up the pieces after you left I'd say it is his business," Max said. "You made it the business of everyone here by walking out on her. We're all involved because – "

"You're all involved to a certain degree but you are not involved in her decision to accept my proposal of marriage." He glanced down at Alex and saw that he had relaxed and fallen asleep, his right hand fisted around the fabric of his father's shirt. "The only one of you here who has any kind of a right to say anything to me is her mother, and maybe the sheriff, and I'll take whatever they have to dish out, but the rest of you…" He shook his head. "I know you and Max came up here with the intention of listing all of my failures for me and making sure that I'm aware that not only do I not deserve her but I also don't have enough of a sense of responsibility to take care of her and Alex." He frowned at Max when he shook his head. "Why are you denying what we both know to be true?"

"Oh, I'm not denying that," Max murmured quietly. "I just don't understand how you can come back after being gone for so long and after two weeks you think you're ready to be a husband and a father."

"I don't guess it really matters whether you understand it or not," he answered, shrugging without concern. "She understands and that's all I need."

"Where's Maria?" Kyle asked impatiently.

"She's asleep; she doesn't get much of a chance to sleep late so she's taking advantage of it this weekend." He turned to look at Maria's mother and stepfather. "If you wanna talk we can go in the kitchen but I'm done with the group session."

Amy shook her head. "I've made enough mistakes with my daughter, Michael; I have no intention of getting between you. If this is what she wants to do then – "

"Amy, you can't possibly think this is a good idea," Kyle interrupted. "He walked out on her. He knew she was pregnant and he took off. How long do you think it'll be before he takes off again?"

"You wanna take this outside, Valenti? Because I've had just about enough of your mouth." His gaze bounced between Kyle and Max before he continued. "The two of you seem to be the ones having the biggest problem – "

"Kyle has a valid point, Michael," Max said, drawing the other man's irritated gaze to him. "How do we know you're not gonna do the same thing six months from now?"

Michael shrugged. "I guess you don't."

"That's not good enough."

"As much as I'm enjoying this whole united front the two of you have goin' on I'm really not interested in anything you have to say. I asked her to marry me and she said yes; she didn't say, 'I need to check with Kyle and Max first to make sure I have their approval'."

"We're not – "

"That invitation to take it outside extends to you too, Maxwell."

Max snorted and took several steps in Michael's direction before his father intercepted him and put a hand out to stop his progression.

"I think the three of you need to calm down," Phillip said, keeping his tone calm. He seriously questioned his sanity when he realized he was standing between three angry men and two of them were half-alien. "Getting into a fist-fight won't solve anything."

"Maybe not," Kyle conceded, "but kicking Guerin's ass would make me feel a lot better."

"Phillip's right," Jim said as he joined them in the center of the room. "This isn't gonna solve anything and to be completely honest what they decide to do is none of your business."

"You know we're in trouble when Michael's the most well-behaved one in the bunch," Isabel muttered when the three younger men started arguing.

"You also know they're gonna end up fighting over this," Liz said. She nodded her head when Michael broke away from the group a few minutes later to hand Alex over to Amy before he turned and shoved Kyle and then Max towards the front door.

Diane glanced between her daughter and daughter-in-law when they made no move to follow the men outside. "You're not gonna try to stop them?"

"No. We discussed it at the airport and decided that if they're that determined to make fools of themselves then we wouldn't interfere," Isabel answered, reaching for the leather-bound book lying on the coffee table. "Besides, they know we disapprove of the way they're handling this."

"Which means for the next week or so they'll be doing everything they can think of to make up for it." She exchanged a conspiratorial smile with her sister-in-law before turning her attention to the book Isabel had reached for. "What've you got?"

"It's a portfolio," she said slowly. Her fingers traced around the edges of the glossy photograph centered on the page.

"Michael's?" Amy asked as she joined them.

Maria watched the women crowded on the couch as they gushed over the photographs that filled the pages. She immediately noticed that the guys weren't in the house and since Kyle and Max were still refusing to accept that Michael had come back she had to assume they had gone outside to beat each other senseless. The thought that he could get hurt propelled her into action and she hurried outside, oblivious to the startled looks she received from the women she had been observing.

Relief flooded her senses when she reached the front porch and saw the men standing around watching each other warily. Michael and Kyle were exchanging words and from their expressions she knew they were heated. She could only imagine what Mr. Evans was thinking as his gaze moved between his son and Michael. Jim had known about the aliens in their group for a couple of years so he wasn't overly concerned but the other man had known the truth for less than a month. She knew how intimidating it was to deal with them when they were angry; it had terrified her when she had first found out about them, but now it was no different than dealing with any other angry person.

"I'm gonna tell you one more time, Valenti," Michael snarled when Kyle stepped into his personal space again. "Get outta my face or you're not gonna like what I do to you."

"Your threats don't scare me, Guerin. The only thing that scares me in this entire scenario is that she's gonna get hurt again… that you're gonna get her hopes up with all this talk about marriage and the future and when it gets rough you're gonna take off on her. You didn't stick around the last time so you weren't there to help her deal with the pregnancy, a broken heart, and being kicked out by her own mother. And you know what pissed me off most of all? She defended you. Do you know how many people know she told you she was pregnant before you ran? Just the four of us… and not because she told us. She gave us the same version that everyone else got; that you left before she had a chance to tell you."

"That's enough."

They turned to look at Maria when she spoke, her tone firm. She looked directly at Michael, hating the agonized expression in his dark eyes. She knew how deeply he felt things and having Kyle throw the past in his face would only add to the weight on his shoulders. The guilt he harbored for his actions in the past wouldn't allow him to defend himself but it wouldn't stop her from putting an end to their treatment of him.

"I want to talk to Kyle and Max alone," she said as she pushed her brother aside to stand in front of her fiancé. She glanced at the two men in question. "I'll be with you in just a minute." Her hands settled at Michael's waist and she walked him backwards until they were several feet away from the others. Reaching up to take his face in her hands she directed his gaze to hers. "It's in the past. If you let it stay in the present you'll never forgive yourself."

He stared into her green eyes and saw only love and concern reflected back at him. He felt completely unworthy of her love and he didn't understand how she could forgive him for what he had done to her. "I can't."

"But you will," she insisted. "Maybe not today or tomorrow or even next year, but one day you'll be able to forgive yourself." Her fingertips grazed over his lightly stubbled jaw and she smiled at the feeling.

"What? I didn't have time to shave…" He trailed off when she just shook her head.

"I like it."

His eyebrows pulled together in a deep frown. "I don't understand; Charlie said women don't like it because it's scratchy and – "

_He was so adorable when he was confused,_ Maria thought. "Do you recall me ever complaining about it before? No, you don't," she answered for him. "We don't all like the same things, y'know." She tugged on one of the panels of his unbuttoned shirt. "I appreciate the attempt but this isn't you. And besides," she whispered as she leaned up to kiss him, "the tee shirts show your shoulders off so much better."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now, go away and let me deal with my brother and Max."

"They're not wrong to – "

"Regardless of their reasoning I won't have them treating you like this. I love you." Her heart did a full somersault when a genuine smile softened his features and his eyes lit up. "You should give your friends a call; I know we were supposed to go over to their house this afternoon but now that everyone's here I don't see that happening."

"I'll give 'em a call but they're just gonna tell me to bring everyone over. Trust me; if we don't go over to their place for the barbeque the barbeque will come to us. Leo and Jen have never let me get away with ignoring their invitations and I'm certain Charlie's only encouraged them."

"Well, I think it's been good for you. Now, seriously, go away and I'll be inside as soon as I've straightened those two out. Okay?"

"Okay." He bent his knees slightly and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up against his chest so he could bury his face in the crook of her neck. He rubbed one stubbled cheek against her soft flesh and barely controlled the urge to carry her back inside when she growled low in her throat. He chuckled and his breath gusted warmly against her neck. "You like that, huh?"

"Remind me later and I'll show you how much."

"You're gonna kill me," he groaned, kissing her before he set her back on her own two feet.

Maria waited to speak until she was alone with her brother and Max. "Can you two please explain to me what you think you're doing? Because I don't care for the way you're treating Michael and I want it to stop right now."

Kyle threw his hands up in the air and paced back and forth, shaking his head as he muttered under his breath. "How can you do this? How can you risk putting yourself out there again after – "

"The same way you were able to risk your heart again when Isabel came back, or the way Isabel was able to do the same with you… he's worth the risk, Kyle, and I'm not gonna let fear keep me from going after what I want. You were there for me when my entire world was falling apart and you kept me going every time I thought I had reached my limits. Up until now you've been the primary male figure in my son's life and I'm sure that's part of the reason why you've been so antagonistic towards Michael but it ends today. Do you understand what I'm telling you? Because he is Alex's father and he has every right to be involved in his son's life. I am going to marry him, Kyle, but that doesn't mean you'll be excluded from Alex's life."

"I just don't want you to get hurt like that again, Maria." He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her thoughtfully. "And, yeah, you've got a point about why I keep pushing him but I've been around Alex every single day since he was born and it's not gonna be easy to just hand that over to someone else… even if it is his father."

"You'll still be an important part of his life; all of you will."

"Seattle's a long way from Colorado Springs."

"I thought the same thing but Michael has made it perfectly clear that he can do his work from anywhere – and that includes Colorado Springs."

"I'll try to get along with him; that's the best I can give you right now."

She smiled at his response, recognizing it as the same answer she had given him when he had been encouraging her to give her mother a chance. "Hey, I'll take what I can get… that's the correct answer, right?"

He nodded and grinned. "You kept your word and I'll do the same." He motioned towards the house. "I'd better go talk to Isabel; she's probably not real happy with me right now."

"He's been back two weeks, Maria; isn't it a little too soon to make such a big decision?" Max asked after Kyle had gone inside.

"Michael and I have never taken things slow; life's too short to drag your feet. Who knows that better than we do?" She watched him as he considered her words but a moment later he shook his head and she knew she hadn't convinced him. "I know why you're so angry with him, Max, and it doesn't have anything to do with me."

"What?"

"Growing up it was just the three of you because you were scared to get close to anybody else which is understandable when you consider what you keep hidden from the world. He didn't just leave me; he left you and then Isabel left too, and I know how much that hurt. Maybe not from your perspective, but I know how close the three of you were and you're not the only one who misses that connection."

"He made his choice."

"So you're gonna punish him and yourself for it for the rest of your lives? Isabel's found a way to mend fences with him and they're working on rebuilding – "

"Isabel's always had a soft spot for Michael and it allows her to forgive him for things that no one else would even consider."

"Not even you?"

Max turned away from her to stare out across the endless acres of land that surrounded them and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You and Michael are so much alike at times," she huffed, rolling her eyes.

"We are not alike," he denied, annoyed by the perceived accusation. "I would never walk out on my – "

"You wear your heart on your sleeve and Michael keeps everything hidden but you both feel things so deeply that it makes it difficult for you to let it go when you've been hurt. Are you gonna stand there and tell me that it didn't hurt when he left without a single word? You would've gone after him regardless of his reason for leaving."

"No."

"No? Would you have gone after him if he had taken off like he was planning to the night Hank disappeared? C'mon, Max, we both know you would've followed him."

"We're supposed to be together; it's not safe out there. He's always been hotheaded and he's always reacted without thinking things through but this time his actions affected all of us."

Maria smiled when she realized that there was no heat behind his words and they had reached the point where he was just blowing off steam. "If you hadn't been following him all over the country, if you and Liz had gone straight to college, do you think you'd be married now? Do you think Isabel wouldn't have left if he had stayed? Because I can pretty much guarantee that she would've taken off either way. Do you – "

"You know why she left," Max said suddenly, turning to look at her. "She told you, didn't she?"

"Max… no."

"Tell me why she left and I'll let the past go."

"I can't give you that, Max; it's not my story to tell."

"Fine, I'll ask her myself." He turned on his heel and walked back to the house.

Maria hurried after him and caught him just before he reached the door. "Max, don't. It has to come from her but it has to be offered freely; she was in a lot of pain when she left and whatever happened while she was gone allowed her to move on. If you go in there and you demand an explanation you're gonna cause her a lot more pain. She'll come to you when she's ready to talk about it; don't push it."

Max sighed deeply and his hand dropped away from the doorknob at her sincere plea. "Whatever it was, she's okay now, right?" he asked, searching her face for the truth.

"Yes, she's okay."

"I'll ease up on Michael."

She threw her arms around him. "Thank you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, you never thought about havin' kids before, huh?"

Michael looked up when a shadow fell over him and he grinned at Leo and shrugged. "I may have thought about it once or twice." He glanced around the Beckett's backyard, watching his friends and family interact with each other at his neighbor's Saturday afternoon barbeque.

"Looks like you did more than think about it," the older man mused. "You've got a great girl there, Michael; I like her."

"I know and I don't intend to repeat my mistakes with her." He turned his head when Leo motioned at something in front of him, smiling when his gaze landed on his fiancé and his son. He sat forward in the deck chair he had confiscated and carried out into the yard when she crouched down and set Alex on his own two feet. Her hands hovered under his arms as he swayed uncertainly for a few moments before his stance steadied and he took a couple of halting steps. He had taken his first steps the week before, silencing the conversation they had been in the middle of and he had been gaining confidence in his ability to maintain his balance since then. He had been in awe of his son's first steps and Maria had bawled for half an hour afterwards; he was positive he'd never understand women or why they got so emotional over things like that.

His breath locked up in his throat when Alex looked up at him and he saw his own grin reflected back at him. He held his hands out, encouraging his son to keep moving and a few minutes later Alex stepped into his waiting arms. He leaned against his father's left leg, his chubby hands patting his knee in a stuttered rhythm. When he grew bored with that he crawled up into Michael's lap and stared at him intently for a while before he stretched his right arm out to place his palm flat against his chest.

"Dada… ba."

_Oh God… Oh God… he was about to get a first hand lesson in emotions right here in front of everybody,_ he thought, panicking. _This is ridiculous; I am not gonna cry over_ _this._ _It was just a word… it was just one word…_ He looked up when Alex's bottle was placed in his right hand and his fingers automatically tightened around it.

"Ba!" Alex crowed happily when he spotted the bottle, completely oblivious to the state of his father's emotions. He lunged for the bottle when it wasn't immediately given to him and only Michael's quick reflexes kept him from overbalancing and falling to the ground.

He handed the bottle to Alex and he felt the boy settle back against his chest, perfectly content now that he was occupied. He stared at the ground through vision blurred by tears, afraid to blink for fear that they might spill over and make it obvious just how affected he was by one single word.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Maria said gently as she knelt down beside his chair. "I think it's only natural to be affected so deeply when you hear your child address you for the first time."

"Well, did he have to do it here, in front of everybody?" he grumbled, fighting the instinct to reach up and rub his damp eyes.

Maria smiled at his disgruntled tone, knowing that the gruff words were his attempt to cover up the fact that his emotions were so close to the surface. "I don't really think anyone's paying any attention to what's going on over here.

"Are you sure?"

She glanced around the yard briefly. "Positive."

Reassured that no one was watching him he reached up to rub his eyes, relaxing once his vision had cleared up. He cleared his throat and slouched down in his chair, posturing for anyone who happened to look in his direction.

Maria rolled her eyes and reached up to rub his shoulder. "I had a rather interesting conversation with Jen a little while ago," she said.

"Really?"

"I don't recall any mention of her career when you were telling me about her and Leo."

"No? Must've slipped my mind."

"It just slipped your mind that your next door neighbor… your friend, managed several pretty big names in the music industry? Did it also slip your mind that you talked to her recently about making a trip to Colorado Springs to hear me sing?"

"Uh… surprise?"

"Michael, I go out to a karaoke club with Kyle for a couple of hours on Saturday nights and we get up on stage and goof off; that's completely different – "

"You still wanna take a chance on a career in music, right? That's one thing I can't make happen for you, but I know someone who can and, yeah, I asked her for a favor. She knows all the right people, babe; she knows what it takes to make or break a career in the music industry and she's willin' to help."

"But she's retired."

"Semi-retired," he countered. "She said she'd only get back into it if she was managing the right person." He shrugged and looked up at her. "I think you're that person."

"Really?"

"Really," he mocked, smiling to take the sting out of the word. "I also think you've got enough talent to knock the industry on its ass." His right eyebrow arched loftily. "What've you got to say about that?"

"I think you should save this smug attitude until you have something to be smug about." She kissed him and stood up. "But, your confidence in my ability is appreciated."

He caught her hand, stopping her before she could walk away. "I am right and I want you to remember that when you get your first award."

"Are you two already disagreeing about something?" Max asked, joining them with his own chair and sitting down.

"Not exactly."

"Behave yourself, babe," Maria said with a laugh. She shot a quick glance at Max and shook her head in warning before leaving them to talk.

Max nodded and slouched down, stretching his long legs out and glancing at the man beside him. "So, your friends are nice…"

Michael waited, knowing he had more to say.

"Your friend… Charlie, right? She's a little on the odd side."

"A little? The woman defines the word 'odd'." He nodded at the woman in question and they watched her for several minutes, observing her as she held court in the midst of their friends. "I actually wanted to talk to you about her… I have a favor to ask and I know I have no right to ask you for anything and if it were for me I wouldn't."

"What is it? If it's something I can help with you know I'll do it."

"Well, the thing is, it's for Charlie. She wants to have a baby and I thought you could help her – "

"What?!" Max yelped.

Michael rolled his eyes and motioned for him to keep his voice down when everyone turned to look at them.

"You can't just ask someone for something like that. I'm a married man, Michael, and even if I wasn't you… you… how could you even ask me that?"

He listened to the indignant stuttering, amused that Max had jumped to the wrong conclusion. He was wondering how long the other man would ramble on and was considering letting him continue when Liz joined them.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Didn't I tell you to behave yourself?"

Michael looked up at Maria and shrugged his shoulders. "I was."

"He just asked me to sleep with his friend," Max hissed, his face flushed crimson with embarrassment.

"What?!" Liz crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him expectantly.

"I did not! All I said was that Charlie would like to have a baby and maybe he could help her with it."

Maria bit her lip to keep from smiling at his huffy explanation. "Maybe you should explain exactly how you would like him to help her; you kinda left that thought open to all kinds of interpretation."

"She was in an accident when she was in high school and because of it they said she'd never be able to carry a child to term. She can get pregnant but she'll miscarry within the first couple of months and she wants a kid more than anything. I would've fixed it for her if I could but I'm not very good at healing injuries like that; you're much better at that kinda stuff."

"I'll talk to her about it," Max agreed. "But I won't heal her unless she understands about the connection that has to take place. You know how intense – "

"She already knows about it, Max; she's experienced it first-hand." He shrugged. "Car accident last year… she tried to kill me so she could save a turtle." He made sure his voice was loud enough to carry and he grinned at Charlotte when she turned and glared at him.

"Do I need to come over there and set the record straight?"

"You can try," he taunted. He made a production of looking around before smirking at her. "I see you didn't invite the good doctor."

"Why? So you could subject him to more of your boorish behavior? I'm surprised he even called me after that disastrous first date." She liked his friends and family and she was enjoying being the center of attention. "He's found a way to ruin just about every date I've been on for the past year," she confided to her audience.

"I have not."

"You can give up on this whole innocent thing you're trying for because everyone here already knows you."

"You have terrible taste in men and if any of them were worth your time I wouldn't have to take matters into my own hands. Besides," he shrugged, "unless I'm mistaken you've been seeing Dick for a couple of months now."

"For the hundredth time, Michael, his name is Richard." She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "Do you know what he did the first time he met Richard? He walks right into the restaurant, grabs a chair from another table, and sits down with us. Then he proceeds to introduce himself by saying, 'So, you must be Dr. Dick; Charlie's had quite a lot to say about you.' He's done that with every single guy I've gone out with and Richard is the only one who has dared to call back for a second date. He intimidated one guy so badly that he went to the restroom and never came back; he crawled out through the window and I never heard from him again."

"He was a babbling idiot."

"You sat there and glared at him for almost an hour without saying a single word."

Michael shrugged; he didn't consider it a loss.

"And Greg? What was wrong with him?"

"Which one was he?"

"He works at the museum on First and Main."

"The skinny, scarecrow-lookin' guy with the ponytail?"

"You deliberately insulted him and called him a liar."

"He's the one who said he had gone to school to be an archeologist. He was a liar; he didn't have a degree in archeology." He slouched down even further in his chair and shifted his now-sleeping son to a more comfortable position. "Besides, I haven't run the new guy off so what're you bitchin' about?" He smiled at her when she narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't have any plans to chase him off; I actually approve of this one."

"See, I don't know if I should be more or less worried that you approve of him." She shook her head. "This is why I never wanted a brother."

"Too late to think about it now; you're already stuck with me."

Maria watched him as he traded words with Charlotte, amazed at the ease with which he dealt with her. At first she had been jealous of the woman but now that she had talked with Jen and she had watched them interact throughout the afternoon she had a better understanding of their relationship. They were close; they squabbled like siblings and at times they had reminded her of herself and Kyle.

Standing there now surrounded by friends and family, both old and new, she couldn't help but wonder what the future held for all of them. They had survived everything that had been thrown their way and while they hadn't come through it unscathed, they were where they were supposed to be: together.


	5. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

Michael tuned out the roar of the noisy crowd as all of his senses zeroed in on the woman crossing the stage. His dark eyes roamed over her form appreciatively and he hid the smile that threatened to surface at the panic in her deep green eyes. He couldn't believe she still got nervous before a show; after five years of facing thousands of screaming fans it didn't seem possible. She was on the verge of hyperventilating by the time she exited the stage to stand in front of him.

"Okay, tell me I can do this," she ordered without preamble.

"You can do this," he parroted obediently. He smirked when she glared at him and delivered a stinging slap to his right arm. "Eighty-three thousand fans can't be wrong." He gently turned her to face the stage and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his right arm on her shoulder to point at the frenzied crowd. "There isn't an empty seat out there; you're performing for a sold-out crowd… again."

Maria nodded and made a rolling motion with the hand that wasn't tightly gripping the arm he had wrapped around her waist.

Michael looked up and nodded at the lead guitarist when he lifted a shoulder in question. At his nod the man signaled the drummer and the band started playing the intro for one of their most popular songs and the crowd went wild. The guys in the band were familiar with her pre-show nerves and they kidded her about it, well aware that as soon as she hit the stage the show would go off without a hitch.

"You hear that? The masses have shelled out hard-earned money to be here tonight; they're here to see you. The woman with both the number one album and the number one song in the country for the third consecutive week." He felt her relax and knew he'd have to let her go soon. "Now get out there and drive 'em crazy."

She turned and threw her arms around his neck, pushing herself up on her toes to kiss him. "I – "

"Don't say it," he warned gently, shaking his head. "You know if you do it'll flip the switch on those overactive hormones and you've got a show to do so tell me afterwards." He gave her a gentle nudge and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her take a deep breath and walk out on the stage without a trace of her earlier nervousness.

This was the second tour where she was the headlining performer and after eight months they had finally reached the last show. The last couple of months had been grueling and he was glad it was reaching the end. They had found out a few weeks earlier that she was pregnant and they had debated whether or not to cancel the remaining dates on the tour. They had agreed at the beginning that she wouldn't push herself by touring if they found out at any time that she was pregnant. When they had gotten the news they had discussed it and decided to finish the last leg of the tour since there had only been three weeks left to go.

He had been hesitant about agreeing to finish the tour because he didn't want any undue stress being put on her. After four tours and three albums she needed a break from the constant pressure the industry put on her. She had been planning to take at least a year off after the tour but he knew with the pregnancy she wouldn't take off any less than two years. They had spent a lot of time on planes over the past few years, flying home for any important events that took place while they were out of town. Their kids came first and that had been the one thing they hadn't been willing to negotiate with the record company. Alex was almost seven years old and their daughter Samantha had turned four two months earlier. It wasn't unheard of for them to fly home for a soccer game or a school play then turn around and fly back the next day for a scheduled concert. During the summer they took the kids on the road with them and they were always home for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

He normally stayed home with the kids now that Alex was in school but the moment they had found out she was pregnant he had made arrangements for them to stay with Isabel and Kyle and he had called Charlotte to tell her the next shipment would be delayed by a few weeks. She had assured him that she had enough pieces to get her through the holidays before wishing him good luck and hanging up. He smiled as he thought about his best friend; she had gotten married a couple years ago and she had given birth to a beautiful baby girl a year later. She had threatened to name the baby after him the entire time she had been pregnant – whether it was a boy or a girl - and he had been grateful when the baby was born and she had gone with another name. He suspected she had been messing with his head the whole time but he hadn't been able to prove it.

Calling Kate to cancel his next show had been a little more difficult but she had finally accepted that he wasn't going to be there and she had rescheduled. She wanted to open up a gallery that showed his work exclusively and since he refused to allow his pieces to be sold by anyone except Charlotte the two women were negotiating everything from money to where the gallery should be located.

Maria was thrilled at the prospect of having his work displayed in a gallery that was dedicated entirely to his work. She had insisted that he needed to start doing the shows his agent was always pushing him to do and he had finally given in after their second anniversary. The shows had put him on display along with his work and he hadn't been comfortable with it at first but Maria had been beside him for every show and as time passed he had become more at ease with the attention. He had lost count of the number of interviews he had done and he had turned down dozens of offers made by companies wanting some sort of sculpture that would catch the attention of prospective clients.

It was a non-stop juggling act to keep both of their careers active while balancing their personal lives at the same time but they were both dedicated to making it work.

He shook himself out of his musings long enough to identify the song his wife was singing and mentally calculate how much longer she would be out there. Christmas was less than a week away and they were flying back to Colorado after the concert was finished and all of the post-show activities were wrapped up. They would be home before morning and for the first time since Thanksgiving they would wake up in their own bed and the most pressing matter they would be facing would be what to make for breakfast.

Walking through the front door of the sprawling two-story home they had purchased several years earlier always gave him such a feeling of warm welcome. The front entrance opened up into a large foyer and the statues that he had carved for his wife lined the walls on both sides. They had grown in number as time had passed and the three that he had originally created for her had been joined by several more. He had never imagined that she would insist on displaying the sculptures in their home and they had been an endless source of curiosity for the small handful of people who had been allowed into their home for interviews with one or both of them. The only people who knew the story behind the sculptures were their family – not because either of them had ever felt the need to tell it but because they knew the history he and his wife shared and they had been able to understand the symbolism. Maria had been adamant in her refusal to allow photographs to be taken of anything inside the house, insisting that it was private and not for public viewing.

They were careful to keep their personal lives out of the public eye and they had been vigilant about keeping their children protected from the media. He was the only one who knew she was considering retirement because she missed being at home and spending time with the kids and their family. They had talked about it quite a lot over the past couple of months and he had agreed to stand beside her decision regardless of what it was. But with their third child on the way he had a feeling that retirement was just around the corner.

He straightened up when the stage lights dimmed and the crowd became so loud it was almost unbearable. The overhead lighting backstage provided just enough illumination for him to see her as she ran off the stage and straight into his arms. _There wasn't a_ _better feeling in the world, _he thought. Her body was vibrating with leftover energy and he knew from experience that it would be several hours before she came down from the natural high she got from performing. He also knew that once it wore off she would be exhausted and she'd sleep straight through the trip home.

He allowed himself to be led through the maze of corridors that led back to the dressing rooms, entering one of them right behind her and closing the door on the noise. He dropped down into a chair and watched her buzz around the room, changing out of her stage clothes and showering before changing into a pair of well-worn jeans and a red halter-top. She finished the ensemble by pulling on a black leather jacket that was similar to the one he was wearing. He pulled his attention away from her when his cell phone rang, glancing at the caller's identity and frowning when he recognized his brother-in-law's number. He talked to Kyle just long enough to learn that his daughter had woken from a nightmare and wanted to hear her parents' voices.

He talked to her for a while, making sure she was all right and promising that they would be home when she got up the next morning before handing the phone over to Maria. She settled down in his lap and hooked one arm around his neck, reassuring Sammie and singing their little girl back to sleep with a song she had written for her after her birth.

She was quiet after hanging up and he knew her thoughts were at home with their children. "It's only a few more hours," he whispered, nuzzling the skin right below her ear. "We'll go by and pick the kids up from Isabel and Kyle before we go home."

"Even though we'll get home before dawn?"

Normally if they got back in the middle of the night they would go straight home and pick the kids up the next morning but with her hormones bouncing from one end of the scale to the other he thought it might be best if they went ahead and picked them up.

"Yeah, why not? Alex won't wake up if we move him – that boy sleeps like you do, Sammie will go right back to sleep, and you won't wake up for any of it."

"Don't pick on me."

He kissed the pout off of her face and eased her off of his lap. "Let's go face your adoring fans and the damned reporters so we can get outta here and go home."

Home. The word had come to mean so much to him after coming back to her six years earlier. After overcoming every obstacle life had thrown at them so far they were doing well. They were happy, successful, and more in love than they had ever been. They had come full circle since the rocky beginning of their relationship and it had been worth every bit of pain they had gone through.

He stood when she tugged on his hand and followed her to the door. She paused with her hand on the doorknob and turned to look up at him. "I love you so much," she said, leaning up to kiss him.

"Love you more," he said, grinning as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up so they were eye to eye. Knowing she would argue against his statement he took the opportunity to kiss her, using every weapon in his arsenal to distract her.

A moment later he was blinded by several bright flashes of light and they pulled apart in time for the reporters to snap several more pictures before the security people removed them from the area.

Michael groaned. "You know we're gonna be on the cover of the damned tabloids… again!"

She smiled. "Yeah, but how many stars land in the tabloids for making out with their husband?"

"Well, if they'd get my name right it wouldn't be so bad."

"It's just the one reporter that gets it wrong every time and you know he does it on purpose because you threatened him the first time he did an interview with me."

"He's an octopus, Maria! I told him to keep his distance and he kept gettin' right up in your personal space and tryin' to put his hands on you! And I had every right to threaten him and if he doesn't stop I'll have Phillip sue him."

"All right, Spaceboy, calm down." She smiled when he snarled at her and reached around her to open the door. Taking his hand she dragged him out behind her to face the reporters, confident that he wouldn't leave her side for a moment.

Michael followed her, a solid presence at her back, throughout the interviews, photo opportunities, and autographs. He never strayed from her side, content to let her run the show and be the center of attention. Her security people surrounded her but all of his senses were always focused on what was going on around them and who was close enough to be a threat. He was all right with the attention lavished on her by others because he knew when it was all over he was the one she would be going home with.

Arms folded over his chest and an intimidating scowl on his face, he watched over her and waited for her to signal him that she was ready to go. Inside though, his heart was beating triple time as he thought about going home with her. At one time he had wondered if time would take the edge off of his feelings for her and now, six years later, he had his answer. He couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else. Time had only made them stronger; his heart still beat faster and his palms got sweaty every time she looked at him that certain way. She had made him the man he was and for once he could honestly say that he was comfortable in his own skin. He had found his place in the world – a place where he was accepted for who he was and loved without condition, a place that was his and his alone.

His place was at her side. Loving her, protecting her, and being loved and protected by her in return.

THE END

6


End file.
